Worlds Apart
by embrace-the-deception
Summary: The story of an autistic boy named Kurt and his Blaine, and how they deal with the difficulties of life - from bullies, prejudice and ignorance to friendship, love and kisses. Klaine fluff, angst, romance and more. Ch17: It's a showdown between Blaine and Karofsky - one of them has to break. ON HIATUS INDEFINITELY
1. No One Will Ever Love You

**WORLDS APART**

**Just something I want to mention:**

**I have an autistic brother. So I like to think I know a little about autism. But I have to add that my brother is quite mild, and in this Kurt's autism is a little more severe. I've tried to keep to what I know about autism, so constructive criticism would be appreciated but flames will not be. Usually I laugh in the face in flames (because honestly, they're hilarious) but on this subject, no. Crit, yes, of course, I can always use the help. Sorry if I'm a little touchy on the subject :)**

**Okay, so now that's out of the way, I hope you enjoy this and please, review! I live off those things :D**

**Thank you to a lovely _sendmeallyourangels_ for fixing my French! :D Thank you so much!**

* * *

><p><span>No One Will Ever Love You<span>

**Kurt gets beaten up at school, and all of his friends are worried about him. None are more worried than Blaine, who skips school to come and see Kurt. Some cute, fluffy French and Klaine follows :D Featuring an intervention, a flailing Kurt, overprotective friends, worried Blaine and some fluffy Klaine.**

As soon as she heard the sound of the jock's shouts from down the corridor, Mercedes knew something was wrong. Again. She moved faster through the crowd of kids enjoying their free time, Tina beside her having to jog to catch up. Mercedes bit her lip as the shouts continued, getting louder the further she headed down the hallway. What were the odds that it was Kurt they were after?

Pretty damn high.

Mercedes shoved past a group of students standing around to form a semi-circle in front of the debacle in front of them. As soon as she saw the chaos that lay ahead, the girl stopped dead. Tina gasped as she skidded to a stop beside her friend.

Three football players - because really, who else would it be? - had someone on the floor, backed up against the lockers. Mercedes didn't even need to see the boy's face to know who it was. It was always Kurt. Always. But still, she could see his face, hear his choked-back sobs.

"What's you problem, retard?" one of the jocks sneered, lashing out with his foot. He caught Kurt in the chest, the boy coughing and wincing in pain.

Mercedes refused to stand by and watch as her friend was beaten to a pulp. She marched forwards, unafraid for her own safety as she grabbed the back of one of the player's jackets and pulled him back.

"What's up with you?" The one she had pulled away turned on her, glaring down. Mercedes didn't back away - it was too late for that anyway.

"Get the hell out of here Karofsky."

The jock stepped forward, fist raised threateningly. Mercedes flinched, but didn't move back. She looked him in the eye, daring him silently to hit her.

Luckily for her, a new voice interrupted - one the players would actually listen to.

"Hey, Karofsky! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

The tall, somewhat gawky Finn stormed through the crowd towards the jocks. Karofsky had the decency to step back a little and at least appear afraid. But that was gone in an instant, and the boy glared at Finn menacingly.

"None of your business, Hudson."

"It is when you're bashing my bro," Finn shot back, fists curled at his sides.

He was quickly joined by a group of other football players - namely Puck, Sam and Mike. Also stepping forward was Santana, who fell in beside Mercedes without a second thought. The girl had wondered about the cheerleader before, but she'd proved herself a friend a long time ago.

"Get out of here," Puck growled, cracking his knuckles with a glare.

Karofsky and the two other players paused for a moment, shooting each other questioning glances. At last, Karofsky walked away, his friends following close behind.

"Just trying to help," he threw over his shoulder.

He knew he was going to get a reaction. As Santana, Tina and Mercedes moved quickly over to help Kurt, Finn turned to challenge the football player who'd just beaten the crap out of his stepbrother.

"And how do you suppose that?"

Karofsky stopped and turned to face Finn, "Hey, just figured the crazy could be beaten out of him."

It was brazen of Karofsky to speak at all, let alone say something like that to the kid's insanely overprotective stepbrother. He smirked as Finn took a step towards him, muttering under his breath. Puck grabbed his arm, held him back.

"Not right now. He's not worth it."

Finn was silent for a moment, before nodding and moving back.

"This isn't over Karofsky. You so much as touch him, I'll make sure you live to regret it."

But Karofsky was already gone, along with his followers.

"Is he okay?" Finn asked worriedly as Mercedes supported his stepbrother's limp body. She bit her lip in a panic.

"I don't know! He's conscious, but..."

Kurt held on to Mercedes like a lifeline thrown to a drowning man. It took all of Finn's strength to pry him off so he could pick him up and take him to the nurse. The second he was forced to let go of Mercedes, Kurt freaked out.

"No! NO!" he screamed, thrashing around.

"Kurt, calm down! It's me, Finn! Please Kurt, calm down," Finn pleaded, gesturing urgently for someone to help him. Kurt didn't seem to hear; he continued to fight Finn's grip. Puck and Sam jumped in to help, trying to hold Kurt down until he relaxed.

"Kurt, it's okay!" Mercedes called over his screaming "It's okay! Calm down!"

Mike and Santana worked on dispersing the crowd that had gathered to watch the fight - though it was more a beating than anything. An unprovoked beating. Then they turned to try and help, though there wasn't really anything they could do.

At last Kurt started to relax, though his retained his death grip on Finn's arm as a support as he slowly went limp. It was then that the boys and girls that considered themselves lucky enough to be Kurt's friends finally managed to get a good look at his injuries. Mostly he was bruised, through blood was dripping from his split lip. All in all, he'd gotten off pretty lightly, though he'd be sore and in pain tomorrow. A decent black eye was starting to form, and they were all sure there were more bruises underneath Kurt's shirt. There always were.

Finn and Mercedes shared a worried look as Kurt finally stopped fighting. This - the beatings - had been going on forever, and no one seemed to be able to do anything about it. No one seemed to care, though they couldn't say that of everyone. The glee director, Mr. Schuester, certainly cared a lot about all of his kids, but especially Kurt. And even Sue Sylvester, cheerleading coach and supreme, all-around, ultimate queen-of-the-mean, had a soft spot for Kurt. She did what she could, which meant a lot of the cheerleaders looked out for the boy, but sometimes not even her influence at the school could save him.

Ever since Kurt had started high school - hell, even when he'd started school in general - things had been bad. Finn hadn't even known Kurt then, but high school and a certain glee club had brought them together. Then a marriage between his mother and Kurt's father had brought them closer still. Now he was insanely protective of Kurt, willing to do anything to look after him.

Mercedes had been friends with Kurt for a long time; since preschool, she was pretty sure. She'd grown up around the kid, understood his differences, learnt about them, helped him. She'd protected him as best she could against all the ignorant people out there who didn't realise that just because Kurt looked the same as everyone else, didn't mean he was. Because he wasn't. For as long as Mercedes had known him, Kurt had had that little difficulty called autism. And because of that, people hated him. Bullied him. Hurt him.

He hated being touched. He could barely hold a conversation for more than five minutes (unless said conversation was in French, which for some reason Kurt was very proficient at and could speak better than most French people). He spoke bluntly, which often caused problems. He was far away and distant a lot of the time. But Mercedes had found the way for him to open up. When she'd joined glee club, she'd persuaded Kurt to come too. Maybe he could try something new? (This in itself would have been a miracle). She had never expected him to be as good as he was. Even Rachel, self-declared star, couldn't fault him. Somehow, he managed to sing when he could barely even speak.

More had joined glee, met Kurt. Some had even been cruel to him in the past. Puck and Finn were two of those guys. As time passed, and life happened, things started to settle between the three of them. And now everyone was as protective of Kurt as Mercedes was, Finn even more so. Even newbie Sam, who Kurt had now developed an attachment to, looked after him and had even gone so far as to get suspended in defending him against a group of hockey players.

Mercedes and the rest of the rag tag group they called New Directions (Rachel, Quinn, Brittany and Artie having joined them after hearing about the 'fight' from a couple of gossiping cheerleaders) followed Finn and the guys, who were trying to support Kurt and get him to the nurse without him freaking out again. The diva managed a small smile when she remembered the one person she'd forgotten in her drawn-out thoughts and memories. Blaine.

They'd met Blaine a month ago. She and Kurt were out getting coffee when someone accidentally brushed Kurt's arm. He'd gone into one of his fits and while the offender had simply looked at him in disgust and walked away, Mercedes had had to try and calm him down. The entire coffee shop looked on, until someone knelt down beside her.

"Is he okay?" the uniform-clad boy asked her quietly, hesitant.

Kurt had suddenly stopped after the stranger spoke and stared at him, eyes wide. Mercedes had simply been glad Kurt had stopped and turned to thank the boy for his help - unexpected, yet surprisingly useful help.

"Thanks for that," she said with a grateful smile, helping Kurt to his feet.

The boy stood up as well, smiling in return though his gaze was fixed on Kurt, "No problem. Glad I could help, though I'm not sure what I did."

"Neither am I," Mercedes laughed quietly.

And then Kurt had done something strange - stranger than usual. He took a tentative step forward and held out his hand. Mercedes gaped in surprise.

"Kurt," he said.

The boy looked hesitant to take his hand, having seen what had happened the last time someone unusual touched him. But then he smiled and shook Kurt's hand.

"Blaine."

And since then, well... Mercedes wasn't really sure what was going on with Blaine. He was definitely a cool guy, and was already pretty protective of Kurt. Sometimes the three of them - because Mercedes or Finn was always with Kurt - would go out for coffee, or just to hang out. Mercedes had never seen someone who made Kurt smile the way he did around Blaine. He rarely smiled at all, except to the friends he'd made in New Directions. And even then...

With a start, Mercedes realised that they were outside the nurse's office, and Finn had taken Kurt inside. The rest of the glee club were left outside to mill around and wait impatiently. The halls were empty now; apparently lunch had already ended and now there was no one to disturb the group's pacing. The diva thought back to her previous musings, and figured she should probably update Blaine. Despite being at some private prep school or something a few hours away, she knew Blaine would want to know.

She pulled out her phone and texted him a quick message.

_Kurts been attacked. thought u might want 2 know_

A second later - and she was sure Blaine should be in class - her phone rang, the caller ID signalling Blaine's name.

"Hey Blaine, shouldn't you be in class?" she asked when she picked up.

"I have a free period," he replied, sounding worried "What happened?"

Santana gestured for Mercedes to put him on speaker, so she quickly did so Santana could speak.

"A couple of the football players corralled him and started beating him up."

"Yeah, that damn Karofsky again," Sam added, arms folded tightly across his chest.

"Hey guys," Blaine said, realising he was on speaker. Everyone knew about and had met Blaine, and all had approved of him. Mercedes doubted Kurt would be allowed near him if anyone had objected.

"Is he okay?"

"He's getting checked out now by the nurse," Quinn answered "But he's just got a few bruises and a split lip. He should be fine."

There was a sigh on the other end of the line; one they all knew well. It was the 'God, not again, why did you have to make this so hard?' sigh they were all used to giving after something particularly bad had happened to Kurt.

"Look, I'm going to come down..."

"Dude seriously?" It's like, the middle of the day and you still have school," Puck frowned.

"Yeah, and it's a two hour drive," Artie had to add.

"One and a half." Of course, Blaine had to argue the point "And I don't care. I'll call sick and come down. Finn's going to take him home, I guess?"

"Yeah."

The group all looked up at the sound of Finn's voice. He was standing in the open doorway, leaning against it and looking exhausted.

"How is he?" everyone, including Blaine, demanded at once.

Finn held up his hands for everyone to back off and shut up. They did so, impatiently waiting for a response.

"He's fine, just bruised or whatever," Finn said, sounding distracted "I'm gonna take him home. He's still a bit out of it."

And with that he closed the door again against the barrage of question he knew the group would throw at him. Mercedes sighed - again, the infamous sigh everyone understood the meaning of.

"I'm going to go now," Blaine said "I guess I might see you guys later."

The glee club chorused a good bye to Blaine before he hung up. As Mercedes shoved the phone back into her pocket, a teacher walked around the corner and headed straight for them. If it had been anyone else, the look of anger and hard determination in the teacher's eyes would have scared the kids, but they knew to whom it was directed.

"I heard about the fight," Sue said.

The group nodded, Mike answering, "Karofsky and some of the other players."

"How's Porcelain doing?"

They all smiled at Sue's nickname for Kurt. Rarely was she ever nice at all, let alone nice enough to give someone a name that wasn't 'fatty' or 'ugly' or 'butt-chin' or to that effect (the last lovingly directed at Mr. Schue. No one was quite sure how that got started, but they all had to admit, he _did_ have a butt-chin).

"He's okay, Finn's taking him home," Quinn replied.

At that moment, the door swung open again and Finn reappeared with Kurt. The shorter boy's arm was slung over Finn's shoulder as support and the glee club immediately moved out of the way so the pair could get out. They headed down the empty hall, Finn keeping a firm grip on the mumbling Kurt to keep him from falling. He was barely walking, almost as if he were trying to drag his step-brother down with him.

Mercedes heard the infamous sigh from the rest of the group, and resigned herself to another. It was one she knew she wouldn't be able to forget for a long time - for as long as Kurt was hurt by anyone, she'd keep giving that 'God, why don't you care' sigh.

* * *

><p>Knocking on the door, Blaine fidgeted nervously. He didn't usually come around much, as Kurt's father was extremely wary of anyone who hung around his son. On the few times he'd visited, Burt had stared him down and honestly, Blaine was a little afraid of him.<p>

The door opened to reveal Carole. Blaine smiled. He liked Finn's mother. She was kind and sweet, genuinely caring for Kurt. It took heart to get into a relationship with someone who had a kid like Kurt, yet still she'd gone ahead.

"Hi Mrs. Hu-"

Blaine was cut off by the woman at the door, "I know we've only met twice, but please, call me Carole."

Blaine smiled, "Carole. I heard about what happened to Kurt, and I just wanted to-"

Again he was cut off, but this time just by Carole's movements. She stepped aside, inviting him in with a smile. Blaine walked into the house, biting his lip nervously.

"Second door on the right," was all Carole said before she walked off.

Blaine quickly found the right room, knocking on the door before opening it. Both Finn and Kurt were in there, the pair sprawled on Kurt's bed. The larger of the two was on his back watching TV, whilst the other lay asleep with his head on Finn's chest. Blaine could already see the black eye and he winced inwardly.

"Hey Blaine," Finn said quietly, not wanting to move "I didn't know you were coming."

"Mercedes told me what happened."

"You didn't have to drive all the way down here."

There was an awkward pause as they both left things unsaid that they preferred not to say. Blaine stayed silent on the fact that yes, he _did_ have to come down, because the most important person in the world to him had just been beaten up. And Finn stayed silent on the fact that he knew something was up between the two, and it was obvious to both that if Blaine tried anything, Finn (and everyone else) would kill him. Slowly. And painfully.

With that entire conversation left unsaid (because honestly, the pair thought, it didn't really need to be said at all), Blaine stepped into the room and closed the door behind him, then sitting down on the edge of Kurt's bed. Finn shifted a little, the movement waking Kurt. He shot upright, panic in his eyes and the _look_ on Finn's face... Blaine knew that he was just sick and tired of everything, and didn't want to deal with another of Kurt's freak-outs. Before Kurt could start thrashing or screaming, Blaine quickly grabbed his hand.

"Kurt, hey, it's me."

It was enough to distract him from his impending outburst and he stared at Blaine curiously with wide eyes. Blaine smiled, not really noticing that Finn quietly slipped off the bed and left the room.

"Blaine."

Just the sound of his name in Kurt's voice was enough to make Blaine grin like an idiot. He shifted a little closer, pulling his legs up and crossing them so he could rest his arms on his knees. Kurt copied him, making Blaine laugh a little. It was the small things he loved - and when Kurt smiled in return, Blaine thought his heart might skip a beat. Maybe it did.

"I heard about what happened."

Kurt lost his smile and touched his face, fingers running over his bruised eye and split lip. He looked troubled for a moment, brow furrowed in deep thought.

"Personne n'est parfait."

Blaine resisted the urge to roll his eyes. French was one of his worst subjects at Dalton, and he just had to become friends with one of the most fluent French speakers in the world - and one who happened to use it instead of English far too often to his liking.

"What does that mean?" he asked.

Kurt smiled and handed him his iPod. It was their usual exchange - Kurt knew Blaine need to look up the words. Often they would carry out an entire conversation in one-sided French, Blaine quickly looking up words and then replying in English. It didn't help with his French grades, but Blaine had fun nonetheless.

He grinned as he took the offered iPod and went straight to a translator. After a few misspellings of the words, Blaine finally managed to get a meaning. He looked at Kurt strangely.

"Nobody's perfect?"

Kurt nodded, "Personne n'est parfait Ã part toi, Blaine."

It took Blaine a little longer to find that one, and when he finally did he couldn't stop the blush that spread across his face. He smiled as he looked up at Kurt again.

"Except me, huh?" he teased, making Kurt smile "I don't think I'm perfect though."

Kurt shook his head, "Tu es la personne la plus parfaite au monde, et je t'aime."

As Blaine set to work deciphering that one, Kurt moved closer to him until he was sat right next to the boy, their sides pressed together. Blaine didn't seem to mind, nor did he mind when Kurt rested his head on the Dalton boy's shoulder.

Kurt repeated his last sentence again in a soft whisper with a smile. A second later, Blaine found the meaning. He stared at it on the iPod's screen, unable to quite believe what Kurt had said. Surely he'd mistranslated it? Maybe he'd spelled one of the words wrong? But he knew he wasn't that bad at French. He'd done it all correctly.

_You are the most perfect person ever, and I love you._

It was the last part that resounded in Blaine's head, over and over again.

"Kurt?"

The boy made a small sound of acknowledgement, so Blaine continued.

"Did you mean that?"

Kurt smiled and took the iPod from Blaine, typing something into the translator. Whatever it was, it was long and took Kurt a good five minutes to type out. At last he handed the iPod back to Blaine, speaking the words on the screen in French as Blaine read them aloud.

"Les gens disent que je suis fou,"

"People say I'm crazy,"

"et ils disent que je suis stupide et que personne ne m'aimera jamais,"

"and they say I'm stupid and no one will ever love me," Blaine paused for a moment after this. People said that to him? That was crueller than Blaine could even imagine. How could anyone say that to some as sweet and kind as Kurt?

"mais je sais que ce n'est pas vrai,"

Blaine continued as Kurt did, "but I know that's not true,"

"parce que je sais que tu m'aimes et je t'aime aussi."

"because I know you love me and I love you too."

The pair stared at each other, Kurt lifting his head to look at Blaine carefully. Blaine was stunned; not only was this the most Kurt had ever said to anyone (even in French), but he'd just said that he loved him. Not the 'friends' kind of love that everyone had for Kurt, and that he had assumed Kurt had for him, but _love_. He'd spelled it out, so that he couldn't put it down to Kurt not knowing what love really was.

_Kurt loves me._

Blaine grinned, "Je t'aime."

Because he knew how to say 'I love you' in French - it was probably the only thing he knew how to say. Kurt rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"I know."

The use of English barely surprised Blaine - he was too in shock over the fact that _holy crap Kurt says he loves me_. He threw an arm around Kurt, the younger snuggling into his side.

It didn't matter to Blaine that Kurt had problems. Because everyone has problems. And there was the simple fact that _Blaine loves Kurt_ and _Kurt loves Blaine_.

* * *

><p><strong>I totally didn't mean for this to go as adorably Klaine-y as it did, but it got away with me ;P I'm glad it did though<strong>

**NEXT: An all out Nerf war...**


	2. All's Fair In Love And Nerf War

**I am a new convert to Nerf (I blame CPCoulter and her Nerf-loving Dalton twins XD) and I am officially addicted, and I got bored and some people said they wanted a continuation and I wanted to write more so I did. Yeah, so there :P Oh yeah, and this one-shot series/chapter thingy/not sure what it is now is set in season 2, anywhere before Furt really I guess, and totally AU cuz Kurt doesn't transfer or anything... so yeah... I'm tired, so I'm gonna go to sleep now ;D**

* * *

><p><span>All's Fair In Love And Nerf War<span>

**Things get a little out of hand when a Nerf war breaks out, and it seems Blaine and Kurt aren't so good at hiding their blossoming relationship. Featuring more Klaine, an epic Nerf battle, some sneaky Mercedes, hysterical Santana and lovable silly old Finn.**

Mercedes noticed something was different.

She prided herself on knowing Kurt better than anyone – even Finn, or his own parents. She was his best friends. They shared things that they wouldn't share with anyone else. They knew things about each other that could lead to some very expensive black mail. And Mercedes especially noticed things about the other that had changed – even in a small way. It was her job to see when things changed. It might indicate something Kurt was hiding – something he shouldn't.

But in this case, Mercedes just couldn't figure it out.

"Blaine?" Kurt asked as he rocked on his heels, looking in both directions down the street as he and Mercedes waited outside the coffee shop.

Mercedes shrugged, "I don't know. He should be here by now. But he does have to come a long way, remember."

Kurt simply nodded and continued his rocking and searching through the crowd of people walking down the street with his gaze. Suddenly he smiled happily and bounced up and down slightly.

"Blaine!"

It took her a moment longer thank Kurt to find the boy – she was so used to seeing Blaine in his Dalton uniform. But seeing as it was a Saturday he was wearing something a little more casual. Finally Mercedes spotted him – in a black t-shirt and jeans, walking towards them.

"Sorry I'm late," the teenager apologised as he reached them, giving Kurt a smile "Wes needed some help with the Sectionals set list – I told him I'd give him some ideas."

Mercedes chuckled, "We probably shouldn't talk about that – we're competing against each other, remember?"

"True."

And Mercedes could only tighten her jaw to stop herself from gaping in surprise as Blaine casually put an arm around Kurt's shoulder. And Kurt did nothing –apart from press himself closer to Blaine and reach up to hold the hand resting on his shoulder. She managed a smile at the two boys, trying not to look surprised.

"So, we're meeting up with the rest of the guys at the park – Sam got a whole lot of Nerf stuff for his birthday so we're having a Nerf war," Mercedes shook her head, wondering at the immaturity of some of those glee boys. Honestly, all someone had to do was _mention_ water balloons… That had not been a fun incident at all.

Blaine laughed, "Cool."

Mercedes turned around and headed for her car, painfully aware of the two behind her. It wasn't as if she had a problem with it – in fact, just the opposite. The fact that Kurt was so okay with that amount of contact was amazing. Even she couldn't do that much without him starting to panic. What surprised her the most was that it was _Blaine_ that Kurt allowed that close. The same guy they'd only met a month ago, the same guy who could calm Kurt down faster than anyone, the same guy who'd driven so far to see Kurt after he'd been beaten up earlier in the week… Come to think of it, she mused, that was about the time Kurt had started being so happy. The same was true of Blaine – she'd heard all about it from his friends over at Dalton, Wes and David. Those two were just as bad as some of the glee girls when it came to gossip, but it gave Mercedes the clues she needed to put the puzzle together.

And then it hit her. She stopped just a few feet away from her car, a massive grin forming on her face.

"Mercedes?"

She shook her head and unlocked her car. She'd figured it. She wondered what had taken her so long – how could she be so stupid and not realise sooner? It was so blatantly obvious she was surprised even _Finn_ hadn't picked up on it, and that kid was thicker than a telephone book.

She'd known for a long time that, along with being autistic, which was enough of a problem with the bullies as it was, Kurt was gay. It'd never been something that had come up, but she'd always known. Just like his father had always known, and everyone who met him had known. It certainly didn't help the bullies tone down what they were doing, that was for sure, but that was just another part of Kurt – it'd never seemed odd at all.

And now there was Blaine. He'd never admitted to the glee kids about being gay, but Mercedes had it on good authority (depending on whether Wes and David counted as 'good' authority) that he was. And there was _no_ way that the relationship between Kurt and Blaine was platonic. No way in _hell_. Now that she'd figured it out, Mercedes realised how obvious it all was.

Now, she thought with a smirk as she started her car up, it was time to make sure that Blaine didn't hurt Kurt. Because if he did, then she and the rest of New Directions would make sure he would live to regret anything he ever did against Kurt.

* * *

><p>"NERF WAR!"<p>

"Sam, you fail…" Quinn started, but was shut up when a dart hit her squarely in the forehead. A murderous look took over her face and she raised her weapon, firing it at the blonde who was running for safety behind the closest solid object – which happened to be Finn. Quinn's shot hit the taller teenager in the chest, causing him to start after her with a smirk.

"It's chaos," Santana chuckled as she ducked back down into their hiding place – behind a hedge. Beside her, Mercedes, Tina and Brittany were crouched down with Nerf guns in hand, ready to defend and attack.

"Why did Puck have to get him all that Nerf stuff?" Tina rolled her eyes.

Santana laughed, "Because now he gets to play with it too – they're all such kids."

The foursome laughed among themselves, cautious not to get found by any stray glee kid. Mike ran past their hiding place, but vanished soon after.

"Hey, what's going on with Blaine and Kurt?" Tina suddenly piped up from where she was keeping watch, pointing. The others moved over towards her and looked out.

A little way off, the two boys in question were taking cover from a hail of Nerf darts from Puck, Sam and Finn. Sam had the biggest gun anyone had ever seen – they didn't want to know where Puck had gotten it from – and was using it to shower the hiding place of Blaine and Kurt – a thick tree. The girls focused on the two boys for a moment, ignoring the cheers and hoots of the football players. The tree wasn't wide enough to hide both of them, and Blaine had collapsed in a heap behind it. Kurt was trying to shoot back, grinning like a madman every time he managed to hit someone, but he couldn't hide properly from attacks. Santana was the only one who laughed when Blaine grabbed Kurt and pulled him down onto his lap to protect him from the assault – the other three girls simply gasped in shock. Then Mercedes smirked.

"I knew it," she said as she shared a look with the hysterical Santana, who didn't appear to be shutting up any time soon.

"What?" Brittany asked, curious as Kurt giggled and reached around the tree with his and Blaine's gun to shoot off a few rounds of darts and shower the attackers.

Tina shook her head, unable to quite believe it, "Really? Are they like, together now or something?"

"Who?"

The new voice startled the four girls, but when they looked around it turned out to be Mike, who ducked in behind the hedge with them. Brittany pointed out what they were all looking at and as Mike slowly realised, he clapped a hand to his mouth. It didn't really matter as Santana was still laughing hysterically. It was bound to bring someone around soon – and then they'd be drowned in Nerf darts.

"Really?" the dancer asked in shock "Blaine and… Kurt?"

"You reckon there'd be a problem?" Tina asked, something on most of the girls' minds – all except Mercedes.

"No. He knows what he's getting himself into, and honestly, I think…"

"What on _earth_ are you doing? Santana, you're giving yourself away," Quinn's annoyed voice said as she joined the group behind the hedge, pulling a dart from her hair.

As Quinn was filled in, Santana finally managed to stop laughing for long enough to explain what she though was so funny.

"It's so… cliché! And ridiculously adorable! Oh God, I could just die from that cuteness _overload_!"

Everyone had to agree that the pair were indeed adorable, but the question at hand was the most important – would the rest of the Glee club accept it? It was just a matter of Artie (who was watching the action from his hiding place in the car park and pelting anyone who came near with a barrage of Nerf darts), Rachel (who knew where she'd disappeared to?), and the guys currently trying to bury the couple in question in foam darts. Puck and Sam weren't the real issue – it was Finn. If anything was going to go on between Blaine and Kurt, it was Finn they'd have to win over.

Suddenly the hidden group of glee kids was showered with a storm of darts. Spluttering in surprise they looed up to see Puck and Sam smirking, emptying their guns into their defenceless friends. Santana managed to get a few shots off, one almost hitting Puck in the eye and sending him running. Mike jumped up and ran after him, Santana following. The rest of the girls ganged up on Sam and not even his monster of a gun could save him from the barrage that was let loose by Tina, Brittany, Mercedes and Quinn. He ran off and into hiding. There was a yelp of shock from his general direction and Sam stumbled back out from the tree he'd just jumped behind for safety, followed by a calm and collected Rachel who continuously fired at him. The girls laughed.

"He got what was coming to him," Mercedes chuckled before looking around to find Blaine and Kurt. They'd run from their cover and were trying to escape Finn who was hot on their trail. Mercedes grinned as she took aim and managed a perfect shot – hitting Finn in the forehead and leaving him stunned and confused, looking around for who had shot him. Meanwhile, his quarry raced off, Blaine waving a thanks to Mercedes.

* * *

><p>Finally a truce was called, and Finn, Puck and Sam acceded defeat to Mercedes' team. Once they'd gotten Artie (who hadn't realised the fight was over and had stormed anyone who tried to approach him until they finally managed to convince him the war was over), the group milled together and chatted amongst each other. It was then that Puck and Sam managed to pull Mercedes aside and away from the rest of the gang.<p>

"What's this about?" Mercedes asked curiously. The pair seemed to have a mixture of expressions crossing their faces, mostly curiosity and determination. It was the same determination she saw whenever they stepped in to protect Kurt from Karofsky or some other bully.

"Kurt," Puck started "Something's up."

"With him and… Blaine," Sam added helpfully.

Mercedes smiled and shook her head before rolling her eyes, "Took you long enough."

"Are they together or something?" Puck asked, flexing his hand in and out of a fist "Or do we have to go beat prep-kid up?"

The diva shrugged, "I think that something's happened between them, but neither has said anything. Maybe we should keep this quiet until they actually say something."

"Does anyone else know?" Sam glanced back at the group, still unaware that three of its members were missing. Blaine and Kurt were standing on the edge of the crowd of teenagers, the former's arm resting casually over Kurt's shoulder.

"A better question would be, who doesn't?" Mercedes chuckled "Everyone except Finn and Rachel now – Brittany told Artie, and we filled Quinn and Mike in. Finn doesn't need to know yet, he'll figure it out eventually. And Rachel will blab it to him if we let her know. It's surprising she hasn't put it all together yet."

The three agreed to keep quiet about the apparent 'couple' Blaine and Kurt now were, and headed back to the group. It was starting to get dark and it was time for everyone to be getting home, so by the time the three made it back half the teenagers had already left. The only ones remaining were Kurt, Blaine, Finn and Quinn. The latter smiled as Mercedes and the others walked up, saying a quick goodbye before leaving. Puck and Sam were gone before anyone realised, leaving an awkward situation for Mercedes to deal with – Blaine and Finn were exchanging strange looks.

"I should probably get back to Dalton," Blaine said carefully, removing his arm from Kurt's shoulders.

"We'll see you again soon?"

Blaine smiled at Mercedes, then glanced at Kurt as he replied, "Yeah, guess so."

He gave Finn one final odd look before wandering back to his car. Now that Blaine was gone, Kurt shivered in the cold and wrapped his arms around himself tightly.

"We should go," Finn said, gently guiding Kurt towards the car park "See you later Mercedes."

The girl smiled as she was left alone for a moment, before rolling her eyes at Finn's slowness and walking towards her car.

As she slipped inside and started the car up, her phone went off for a text. She glanced at it, laughing slightly.

_is blaine up 2 something?_

Quickly she replied to Finn's text, wondering how he couldn't figure it out.

_idk why would u think so?_

_he was acting weird. _

_we all act weird, doesnt mean we're up to anything_

_i don't get it. btw, what does jet ami mean?_

_why?_

_kurt keeps saying jet ami blaine to himself. its weird and freaking me out_

Mercedes took a moment to reply to that one, as she was laughing too hard to type out the words. It looked like it was confirmed – there was a romance going on between those two. She just hoped Blaine really did know what he was getting himself in for.

_look it up. Je t'amie_

_fine_

Mercedes sighed with a smile as she put her phone away and pulled out of the parking lot. Things just got a little more complicated, but it was nothing they couldn't handle.

* * *

><p><strong>Please review!<strong>

**NEXT: Some interesting news, and Blaine loses control...**


	3. Saints And Sinners

**This one is actually kind of angsty and sad, but happy at the same time :) If that makes sense. I'm a little pissed off at the world at the moment and this rubbed off on Blaine in this chapter - basically what he goes on about is what I feel a lot of the time in relation to my brother (although he doesn't have these sort of attacks, I still feel that people think the same way to what Blaine thinks they think in this chapter [if that made any sense]) Anyway, enjoy this chapter. I guess it is a chapter story because this is going to go in sort of relation to season two, with Sectionals, Regionals and Nationals (I JUST SAW THE NEW YORK EPISODE! I must be the last person on the planet to see the end of season two ;P). Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><span>Saints and Sinners<span>

**While there's happy news for some of our more neglected glee clubbers, there's also some drama and issues to work through for others. Sometimes it all gets a little too much. Featuring angry Rachel and Quinn, excited Blaine, seriously-angry Blaine and some herioc Puck and vulnerable Santana. Plus, Breadstix and Mr Schue putting his foot down!**

As the director walked into the choir room to greet his glee clubbers, Mercedes couldn't hold back her sigh. Sectionals was coming up, and everyone knew they had to get onto it soon or they wouldn't be ready. And knowing Mr Schue, she wouldn't be getting the solo she'd dreamed of. Neither would anyone else for that matter. Rachel would get the solo, or Rachel and Finn would get the duet. That was just the way they worked, and as much as Mercedes hated just belting out the long notes in the background and never getting her chance to shine, she had to admit that the Rachel and Finn routine seemed to work for them.

"Sectionals," Mr Schue said with a grin as he wrote the word on the whiteboard for the glee kids. Everyone tried to hold back their groans and just smile as Rachel got that smug look on her face she had every time she got a solo or a duet.

"Mr Schue, I have some ideas for a solo for me for Sectionals," Rachel offered, but the teacher stopped her there.

"You might not be getting the solo this time, Rachel."

At those words, everyone was suddenly interested in Mr Schue instead of their hair, or the floor, or the roof. Mercedes stared, hardly daring to believe it. A solo for someone _other _than Rachel?

"I think it's time we lived up to what we based this glee club on in the first place," Mr Schue said, looking over all his students "Equality, and everyone getting the chance to shine. You all have amazing voices, and it seems I only showcase a few of those when we perform."

"Damn right," Santana said loudly.

"So for Sectionals this year, I want you all to vote on who you want to have the solo. Also, we'll have a duet as well as the group performance – we're going all out this year. I want us to get to Nationals this time."

Mr Schue started handing out small pieces of paper to each glee clubber, "I want you to write down who should get the solo. I'll choose the duet partners. Whoever gets the most votes gets the part – whether it be Rachel or not." He looked pointedly at Rachel, daring her to say this was unfair. The girl stayed silent, fuming in her seat with arms folded.

The room descended into silence as everyone scribbled down their choices. Mercedes looked around the room, wondering who everyone would choose for the solo. Probably themselves, she thought as she wrote _Mercedes_ down on her piece of paper. It was probably the only vote she would get, but at least she'd tried. Quickly she glanced at Kurt. He was thinking hard, pen poised over the paper as he debated solo choices as well. She caught sight of his choice, and her heart fluttered – _Mercedes_ was written there in Kurt's beautiful handwriting. She bit her lip. If there was anyone in the glee club who deserved the solo, it was Kurt. With a smile, she scribbled out her name on her own paper and replaced it with Kurt's. Sure, she would love to get the solo, but she could imagine the look on Kurt's face if he got the chance to stand up in front of all those people and sing. Singing was the only thing he had.

Handing in her paper, she hoped some of the others had voted for Kurt. It would make him so happy. As she sat back down in her seat besides Kurt, they exchanged smiles.

"I chose you," he said.

"Well, I voted for you," Mercedes replied and the look on Kurt's face was priceless. His smile widened and she knew she'd done the right thing. She'd get her chances later. Sectionals was all Kurt's – at least, she hoped so. She looked back at Mr Schue, who dropped the last piece of paper on the piano after going through them. He had a smile on his face and she wondered if that was a good thing or not.

"Alright, it's pretty clear who you all want to sing the solo," he said "It was almost unanimous. The solo's yours, Kurt."

Everyone grinned and looked up at Kurt - apart from Rachel who frowned and sighed at having lost the solo. Kurt stared at Mr Schue with wide eyes, stunned. He was silent for a long while, digesting the news that he was getting the solo for Sectionals.

"Really?"

Mr Schue laughed, "Yes Kurt. You better get thinking on song ideas."

The grin on Kurt's face was huge, and everyone gave each other a knowing look. They knew they'd made the right choice.

* * *

><p>"We were thinking Train for Sectionals this year," Wes said, addressing the assembled Warblers "Hey, Soul Sister is their hit at the moment, and would sound good in our style..."<p>

Blaine tuned out his friend's voice, bored. It didn't matter to him what song they chose – he'd sing it well and be done with it. For some reason, he wasn't as interested in the Warblers and their problems lately. When Wes had asked for his help with the set list, he'd almost said no. But he knew he couldn't just leave his friend like that, and Sectionals was important for all of them. If they won, and managed to take Regionals, they'd be going to New York. Blaine always felt a little bit excited thinking about New York. It was a dream, and Sectionals was one step along the road towards that dream. He wasn't sure why he was so bored with Sectionals at the moment though. He'd been waiting forever for this sort of opportunity – so why was he ignoring it?

His phone vibrated in his pocket and Blaine was instantly glad he'd kept it on silent. Wes would have a fit if someone's phone went off during meetings and often he confiscated said phone until the end of the meeting so he could rant at the offending person for a good ten minutes or so. Blaine had been on the receiving end of an angry Wes before and didn't want a repeat performance. Trying to be surreptitious, Blaine pulled his phone out and glanced at it. There was a text from Mercedes.

_Got something important 2 tell u, come down 2moro?_

Instantly his curiosity was piqued. He carefully texted her back, making sure no one on the council noticed. No one else would say anything, but if Wes caught him he was dead.

_What is it?_

_Not telling ;) _

_Breadstix 2moro?_

_C u then :)_

"Is that a phone I see, Blaine?"

Paling, Blaine shoved his phone back into his pocket and turned to see Wes glaring at him pointedly. He smiled, hoping his friend wouldn't go off at him. Luckily, seeing no hard evidence that Blaine had in actual fact been using a phone, Wes let him off and continued on about Sectionals.

* * *

><p>"And before you go, I want to tell you who'll be getting the duet for Sectionals," Mr Schue said just as everyone was standing up to leave. School and glee practise was over for the day and Mercedes was itching to get to Breadstix. She couldn't wait to tell Blaine the news. But she patiently sat down again along with everyone else, waiting for the announcement that Finn and Rachel would once again be getting their duet. But then again, she thought with a small smile, miracles had been happening lately. Kurt had gotten the solo, Karofsky seemed to have backed off the bullying lately, and Kurt and Blaine seemed to be going strong. Finn was still in the dark, as was Rachel, but for the moment that was how everyone wanted it to stay. Perhaps after Sectionals they could think about telling Finn, but the performance was too important for anyone to be distracted.<p>

"Now, I took a long time in this decision because I wanted to make sure that I let everyone have a chance. And there are a lot of you that deserve this chance, but only two of you are going to get it this time. For the ones who miss out, maybe your time is Regionals. But the Sectionals duet is going to two people who I think will bring the house down, and not just because of their talent, but their personalities."

He smiled as he looked over all of the glee clubbers, and they all waited in anticipation.

"The first person hasn't been with us long, but his voice is amazing and I want everyone to know just how much diversity we have in our group, especially with Kurt's solo."

At that point, everyone knew exactly who Mr Schue was talking about. They were already congratulating Sam when the teacher finally said his name. Then he called for quiet so he could announce the second partner. Quinn looked quite smug and was looking at Rachel with a self-satisfied smirk. It was obvious to everyone that Quinn's voice matched Sam's perfectly and she would be the second duet partner.

"Now, I said I wanted to show our diversity. And Quinn, your voice is beautiful and works with Sam's well, but I want to show the world that we have a range of skills and voices."

Quinn looked horrified and now everyone was intrigued. Who was interesting enough for Mr Schue to partner with Sam?

"So I've chosen Mercedes to be the second partner in the duet."

Everyone stared at Mercedes in shock, and the diva was just as stunned. She was getting a duet? At _Sectionals_? She was actually going to sing something in front of all those people instead of swaying in the back? This week couldn't get any better. She and Sam smiled at each other – it would be tricky finding a song both could sing well, but they were sure they'd figure it out. Now she had even more amazing news to pass on to Blaine. Though they were competing at Sectionals, she knew she could trust Blaine not to exploit anything he learned from her about the glee club. Besides, he wouldn't do anything hurt Kurt and his chances at singing.

"But Mr Schue!" Rachel and Quinn both demanded, standing up in their fury and glaring at each other and the teacher as if they couldn't decide who they hated more.  
>Mr Schue held up his hands to quiet the girls, "I'm sorry Rachel, Quinn, but that's my decision. Glee club isn't just about the singing, and who can sing what and with whom. It's about working together despite our differences, treating each other as equals, and showing everyone that it doesn't matter if you're different. So I hope you'll respect my decision, because it's final."<p>

Quinn and Rachel said nothing, the latter grabbing her bag and storming out dramatically. No one paid any attention, nor did they pay any to Quinn when she huffed angrily and walked out a few seconds later.

As everyone took that as their cue to leave, Mercedes grabbed Kurt and headed for her car. Along the way they somehow managed to pick up Puck, Sam and Santana. Ten minutes later and they were all at Breadstix waiting for Blaine.

"Congrats on you two getting the duet," Puck said as they waited "I swear, if he'd picked Finn and Rachel again I would have thrown up or something."

"I hate to admit it, and if you say this to anyone else – _especially_ those two – I will kill you and deny it, but Rachel and Finn _are _good," Santana said "They're what got us so far last time. But Mr Schue's damn right. It's time for some change around here."

At that point, before Mercedes could respond, a familiar figure approached their table. He raised an eyebrow as he saw the small group of singers but smiled when he saw Kurt sitting next to Mercedes.

"Hi," he said, coming to a stop next to the crowded table "What's going on?"

"Yeah Mercedes," Puck said, shoving one of the breadsticks the place was famous for into his mouth "Why are we here?"

"You followed us, remember?" the diva shot back, gesturing for Blaine to sit. He squeezed in next to Kurt, the latter happily comfortable as he rested his head on his  
>boyfriend's (were they calling him that now? Mercedes made a mental note to ask if it was 'official' yet) shoulder.<p>

"Hey, I just heard Breadstix and figured we were celebrating or something," Puck shrugged as he ate another breadstick.

Blaine rolled his eyes at being kept out of the loop he was obviously meant to be a part of – if the mysterious text was anything to go by – and gave Mercedes a pointed look, "Celebrating what?"

Mercedes started to explain, "Well, when I texted you yesterday the situation was a little different, but there's only more reason to celebrate now. Mr Schue finally got on to Sectionals."

Blaine nodded, understanding the undercurrent to her tone. She knew he wouldn't start spilling secrets to the Warblers about New Directions. Not if he wanted to keep his head attached to his body, a course of action Puck looked more and more interested in taking.

"You aren't gonna start blabbing stuff to your prep school friends, are you?" the mohawked teenager asked, leaning forward a little. Santana beside him chuckled.

"Nah, he won't. Doesn't want to hurt his boyfriend."

Blaine went bright red at that remark, eliciting a snigger from Puck and Santana. Sam rolled his eyes and gave Blaine a reassuring glance.

"Look, we're all okay with this, right? It's only Finn you have to worry about. Just... are you like..."

"What Sam is so eloquently trying to say," Mercedes interrupted, hoping to steer the conversation back to where it had originally started and maybe get an answer or two along the way "Is, are you two official?"

Blaine shrugged, looking uncomfortable, "Uh, I... don't know. Look, is there actually a reason you asked me to come? Or is this an interrogation?"

"It's about Sectionals," Mercedes said, grateful to have the conversation back on track "Mr Schue said we got to vote for the solo performer, and he'd choose the duets."

Now Blaine looked interested, "Yeah? Who got what?"

"Mercedes and I got the duet," Sam said proudly, prompting a smile from the Dalton student.

"Really? Great! Though, I wouldn't have thought your voices match..."

"That's the whole point," Santana jumped in "Diversity and whatever. Wants to 'show the world' what New Directions has got."

Now it was Puck's turn to say something without his mouth full of breadsticks, "Yeah, which totally goes with the solo performer."

The New Directions kids fell silent, trying to hide grins as Blaine sighed in exasperation at having to guess. Mercedes looked at Kurt and smiled.

"Kurt?"

The boy looked up at Blaine and smiled, speaking in a whisper, "I got the solo."

Later, Puck would show the rest of the New Directions, bar Finn and Rachel, the secret video he'd filmed on his phone. A lot of the film would be hard to hear, due to Santana's snickering and Puck's own laughter.

Blaine was silent, staring at Kurt for a moment. He knew how monumental this was for Kurt. He didn't have many chances or choices in life, considering his difficulties and issues. Singing was the one thing he had where he was _good_ and people appreciated him for it, looking past the disability and seeing who Kurt really was. Now he was going to have the chance to show hundreds of people the boy that Blaine had fallen in love with. It was a huge opportunity and knowing Rachel, one that wouldn't come around very often.

"You're kidding!" he said, in a pitch he would deny ever being able to produce.

He threw a hug around Kurt, knowing the boy wouldn't freak out like he would if it was anyone else. Because they had something special, that no one else in New Directions, or the Warblers, or anyone at all had. He didn't know what it was, but it was _special_.  
>Kurt hugged him back almost tentatively, unused to hugs in general. But Blaine didn't care. His Kurt was going to <em>sing<em>. At _Sectionals_.

"Faggots."

The moment had to be ruined as a footballer – not one of Karofsky's minions, but someone they recognised – walked past and purposely bumped into Blaine. The shove pushed Blaine into Kurt and Kurt into Mercedes. The sandwiching and the sight of one his tormentors proved too much for Kurt and he started to shake, a precursor to one of his famous panic attacks. Quickly everyone moved to give Mercedes room to calm Kurt down. Puck slid off the edge of the seat and smoothly walked away. For a moment Blaine was shocked at the teenager just leaving, but then he realised Puck was following the footballer and he shot Blaine a glance before heading out of Breadstix after the kid. A look and a nod that clearly said 'don't worry about it'.

Because he had other things to worry about. Kurt was still sandwiched in the booth and despite Santana and Sam vacating the seats at the speed of light, Mercedes still couldn't get him out. Kurt was starting to get more and more worked up and people were beginning to turn and stare. Santana gave every person who turned around a dark, angry glare and most looked away quickly. Some couldn't take their eyes off the debacle, and others were just sniggering in the far corners – McKinley students. Sam whispered something to Santana that Blaine just heard over the panic attack Kurt was in the middle of. Apparently the ones laughing were the hockey players Sam had got suspended for after beating the crap out of them. Santana kept one hand on his shoulder to keep him from going over there and repeating his assault. Meanwhile, Blaine focused his attention on Kurt. He helped Mercedes get Kurt free, then held his arms by his side by grabbing him in a tight hug so he wouldn't hurt himself.

_Damn, he's strong_, Blaine thought as he and Mercedes somehow managed to get him out of Breadstix and out onto the pavement. Santana and Sam followed, both looking worriedly on as Kurt's two closest friends worked on calming him down. Kurt, with his arms pinned to his side, kicked out and started screaming.

"Kurt, listen to me," Blaine whispered in his ear, hoping Kurt could hear him "Please, listen to me. I promise it's okay. You're okay. Can you hear me baby? I'm here, it's okay."

For a moment it didn't appear that Kurt had heard him. On the street, people shook their heads in disgust at the sight and Blaine wanted to punch them. How could they judge him like that, like he was some spoilt child having a tantrum? But he forced his anger to stay down as he focused on Kurt.

"Kurt, it's Blaine, please. Listen to me, you're okay. We're all here to look after you, just please calm down. You're okay, you're safe, please just relax."

After a moment Blaine felt Kurt start to slow down a little and his screaming lowered in pitch and volume. Eventually he fell silent and went limp in Blaine's arms. Staggering under the sudden weight, Blaine loosened his grip on Kurt. He heard the boy quietly crying and he felt sick. Sick with anger and rage. Those stupid people, thinking they knew everything and were so goddamn perfect. They had no right to judge Kurt. Or hurt him. He couldn't believe the nerve of some of those people at McKinley. Just hearing the stories from Mercedes was enough to make him want to drop everything and run to McKinley and make sure Kurt was okay. And they couldn't even keep their bullying contained to the school – they flaunted it in front of everyone, because no one would do anything about it.

"Is he okay?"

Blaine looked up at the sound of Puck's voice. He was walking towards them with a busted lip and a smudge of blood across his cheek, contrasted with the spark of worry in his eyes.

"Yeah," Mercedes said finally, carefully and gently peeling Kurt off Blaine. He collapsed against her, too exhausted to have another fit. She and Sam walked him to her car, shooting the remaining two glee clubbers a pointed look.

"Hey Blaine, _you _alright?" Santana asked, taking in the sight in front of her. Blaine was shaking, hands curled tightly into fists at his sides, a look of pure rage on his face.

"It's not fair!" the Dalton boy yelled suddenly, turning to take out his anger on the one who had spoken. Puck quickly stepped in front of Santana and took the blow meant for her. Blaine shouted something unintelligible as he turned and stormed away down the street, running his hands through his hair in his frustration. Santana rolled her eyes at Puck.

"Seriously?" she asked before walking after him. Puck simply shrugged.

Santana caught up with Blaine halfway down the street, still growling and muttering to himself. She fell into step beside him until they reached a small alley between two shops. Santana grabbed him and pulled the boy into the alley, shoving him against the wall.

"You gonna explain why you tried to punch the crap out of me?" she demanded, knowing this was the best way to get to him in this state.

Blaine fought against her, pushing her away, "It's not fair. They can't judge him. They can't... they can't look at him like that like they know what's going on, because they don't. Dammit!"

Santana stood back as she let Blaine let loose on everything on his chest, "How can they do that? Just... how can they judge him like that? They don't have the right! They don't know him! They think he's some stupid retard but they don't know him! He's the most perfect, beautiful, amazing person on the face of this planet and those stupid ignorant people can't see it! And they hurt him because they don't understand him! It's not fair"

Energy spent, Blaine slumped against the wall and slid to the ground. With his head in his hands he released a long sigh – one that let go of all his anger and hatred. He let it go for just a moment, his exhausted body filling with the feeling of wanting to cry. He felt Santana sit down beside him.

"You wanna know why they all pick on Kurt?"

Blaine said nothing – he was too tired to open his mouth.

"There's this girl at school. Her name's Becky and she's on the Cheerios. She's got Down's Syndrome. But no one really picks on her. I used to say it was because she's Coach Sylvester's favourite. But Kurt is one of her favourites too, and he used to be in the Cheerios. But they still bullied him."

"Why then?" Blaine sighed, looking over at her. She looked especially vulnerable at the moment, playing with her hands in her lap and staring at the ground.

"Because Becky looks different. If they pick on her, it looks like they're being cruel to a disabled kid. Which is true, so they don't do it. But Kurt doesn't look like there's anything wrong with him. He looks normal, but acts differently – which is the best reason to bully someone. For acting different."

Santana looked at Blaine, hardness returning to her eyes.

"So no, it's not fair. But that's the way life works. And we have to deal with that. We all have to deal with the slushies and taunts that come from being in glee club. Kurt has to deal with that, and the gay issue, and the autism issue. So he's got it triple hard. But that's why we're here. It's not fair, but it's life."

With that, she stood up and held out her hand to Blaine. He stared at it for a second, then took it and stood.

"Sorry... I really didn't mean to try and hit you."

"I get it."

They walked out of the alley and headed back to the waiting glee clubbers. Mercedes had already left to take Kurt home, but Puck and Sam were still outside Breadstix. The two said nothing as the pair approached, but simply gave Blaine a reassuring look. Everything was fine.

"Sor-" Blaine started, but was interrupted by Puck "It was nothing. You heading back to Dalton?"

Blaine nodded. Mercedes was looking after Kurt, and Finn would too. For the moment, he was alright. He turned and walked away to find his car.

As he unlocked it, he suddenly realised why he was so bored with Sectionals.

Because there were bigger things to be worried about. And bigger things to care about. Like Kurt.

* * *

><p><strong>NEXT: Time for Sectionals, with all the chaos and drama that ensues...<strong>


	4. Gravity and Golden Fireflies

**EDIT: There's been a minor rewrite at the end as someone pointed out a few mistakes I'd made. Check it out! Thanks to _sendmeallyourangels_ again for the French help :)**

**Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed this story. When I first wrote the one shot, I just wanted to get the idea out so it would stop pestering me. I figured I might get a couple of reviews. But the response I got... I was inspired to write more, and I've had so many ideas I can't write them out fast enough. I have to write these at one in the morning due to the insane amounts of homework I have, but I can't stop writing them! And the response you guys have given, it's amazing. I never expected it at all. And some of the reviews are truly inspiring in their own right, and have boosted my own confidence and self-esteem in the process. I have you guys to thank - YOU ARE ALL AMAZING AND AWESOME AND ALL THAT!**

**So... with that over... enioy the chapter?**

* * *

><p><span>Gravity And Golden Fireflies<span>

**Sectionals is here, and its chaos and confusion for both New Directions and the Warblers. There's a few problems along the way but it's nothing they can't handle, especially when the 'B' word is thrown out there. Featuring some bitchy Rachel, all-knowing, sneaky Jeff, clueless Finn, sweet and fluffy Klaine, pretty lights and a few teenage dreams...**

Sectionals.

Finally, the day was here. Mercedes couldn't believe that she was going to be singing at Sectionals. For the first time in her life, she'd be singing in front of an audience that wasn't a glee club or her high school. This was for real, and she wasn't giving it up for the world – no matter how much Quinn and Rachel complained and argued with her and Mr Schue about the choices. Rachel was still annoyed at having lost her solo and took every chance to reiterate how big a mistake she thought this was. It was starting to get on everyone's nerves.

Mercedes waited as everyone else got on the bus that was taking them to Sectionals. Kurt was waiting with her, the rest of the kids already on board. They were just waiting on Sam and Quinn, though who knew where the pair was? Their relationship had been under a lot of stress due to the duet and Sam had told Mercedes during one of their rehearsals that he was tired of Quinn's theatrics and bitchiness – it was becoming old.

Finally someone turned up. Quinn stormed towards the bus, anger flashing in her eyes. She glared at Mercedes before jumping up onto the bus. A second later Sam appeared, sighing and looking on edge.

"Are you alright?" Mercedes asked as he approached.

"Not really," Sam sighed "Quinn and I just broke up."

"You're kidding!" That was unexpected. Despite their issues, no one had thought it would get so bad as for the pair to quit on each other. But apparently it was at that stage.

"Yeah. She keeps on at me about this stupid duet, and I guess I snapped."

Sam gave Mercedes a small smile and left her to get on the bus. With everyone now accounted for, Mercedes and Kurt followed and within minutes they were off to Sectionals.

This was it.

* * *

><p>"Come on Blaine, we're going to be late. We can't be late for Sectionals," David yelled as Blaine ran to catch up with the others. The rest of the Warblers were already on board the bus and waiting for him.<p>

"I'm coming!"

Blaine jumped up into the bus just as the doors swung closed, courtesy of a rather upset-looking Wes. Blaine rolled his eyes at his friend, shaking his head.

"Honestly Blaine, what's going on lately? You haven't really been... 'with it'," Wes asked as they sat down and the driver started up the bus.

Blaine sighed. He hadn't told his friends too much about Kurt and New Directions. He knew they'd want to know what he knew about the glee club, and he wasn't prepared to share that with them. They didn't need to know he was close friends with their competition for Sectionals. For New York. They all knew about Kurt – Blaine hadn't been able to keep his mouth shut when he'd returned to Dalton after the incident at Breadstix. They'd been getting suspicious anyway, considering he kept asking Wes or David to cover for him when he faked sick and went down to McKinley. But they didn't know just how Blaine felt about the autistic boy – or how Kurt felt about him. He wasn't quite ready to share that with them just yet, especially when he wasn't too sure about it himself. He loved Kurt – that was for sure – but Kurt was autistic. It wasn't something he could forget, and that made a relationship difficult.

"It's nothing. Just the pressure."

And that was enough for his friends. Blaine let himself smile as Wes and David stated chatting and he thought about seeing Kurt again. He hadn't seen him since the Breadstix incident and he was desperate to see how he was doing. Plus, for some strange reason he couldn't quite comprehend, he'd never heard Kurt sing. For the first time, he'd hear Kurt sing.

This was it.

* * *

><p>"Hey guys," Blaine grinned as walked over to the New Directions. He'd managed to slip away from the Warblers for a moment to see his friends. And Kurt. They greeted him warmly, apart from Rachel who continued to glare at him like he was pure evil, and Quinn was off somewhere 'crying her eyes out', according to Santana.<p>

"The Hipsters are up first," Tina said, checking the program for the fifth time in the last five minutes "Then you, then us. Oh, I'm so nervous. We're competing against our friend."

Blaine rolled his eyes as he put his arm around Kurt – it felt so easy just to do that. Finn gave him a strange look, but he ignored it. This was Sectionals, and nothing was going to distract him.

"Tell me about it," he said "I have to compete against all of you! Still, good luck."

And then they were being called in to watch the first performance. Blaine said one last good bye before dashing back to the Warblers so they could go and sit down. He got an odd look from Jeff as he reappeared, but thought nothing of it until they were settled down and halfway through watching the Hipsters' performance.

"Where were you?" Jeff asked from beside him. Blaine shot him a look.

"Nowhere. Why?"

"Liar. I saw you, with the New Directions."

Blaine turned on his friend, glaring, "It's none of your business."

The blonde held up his hands and backed off, mumbling under his breath about being defensive and that being a bad sign. Blaine ignored him, releasing a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. They'd figure it out eventually, he told himself. It wasn't like he could hide this from them forever. He was just worried about how they would react to his friendship with the 'enemy', as Wes called them.

All too soon, the Warblers were called to perform and Blaine was standing nervously off stage, waiting to go on. He thought about Kurt sitting out there in the audience. Neither had heard each other sing – it was a first for both of them. He smiled, before walking out onto the stage and assembling with the rest of the Warblers.

"Ready?" Wes asked.

"Would it matter if we weren't?" Jeff piped up, earning himself a poke from Nick beside him.

"Let's do this."

_Hey-eh, hey-eh-eh-eh-eh, hey-eh-eh-eh-eh_

_Tonight_

_Hey-eh, hey-eh-eh-eh-eh, hey-eh-eh-eh-eh_

_Your lipstick stains_  
><em>On the front lobe of my left side brains<em>  
><em>I knew I wouldn't forget you<em>  
><em>And so I went and let you<em>  
><em>Blow my mind<em>

As he sang, Blaine looked out into the audience for the one person he was singing for. He caught sight of some of the New Directions kids, and followed the line until he saw Kurt. The boy was grinning and watching him intently, mouthing the words as Blaine sang them.

_Just in time, I'm so glad you have a one track mind like me  
>You gave my life direction<br>A game show love connection, we can't deny_

_I'm so obsessed_  
><em>My heart is bound to beat right out my untrimmed chest<em>  
><em>I believe in you, like a virgin, you're Madonna<em>  
><em>And I'm always gonna wanna blow your mind<em>

For the first time in a long time, he was happy about Sectionals. He was happy about singing. This time, it wasn't for some trophy, some other contest. This was about him. This was about Kurt.  
>As the song ended and the Warblers behind him stopped their background beat, the audience exploded into applause. But Blaine was only looking for one person, and he could see him clapping with an excited grin on his face, so contagious it made Blaine smile in return. But quickly he remembered they still had another song to do. And sure enough, the background tones started up from the Warblers, and Blaine launched into the song with a smirk.<p>

_You think I'm pretty  
>Without any makeup on<br>You think I'm funny  
>When I tell the punch line wrong<br>I know you get me  
>So I let my walls come down, down<em>

_Before you met me_  
><em>I was alright but things<em>  
><em>Were kinda heavy<em>  
><em>You brought me to life<em>  
><em>Now every February<em>  
><em>You'll be my Valentine, Valentine<em>

The crowd clapped in time to the beat, enjoying every second of it. New Directions was on their feet, cheering him and the Warblers on. Blaine sang his heart out, moving around the stage and keeping his eyes on one person in the audience.

_You make me feel  
>Like I'm livin' a<br>Teenage dream  
>The way you turn me on<br>I can't sleep  
>Let's run away and<br>Don't ever look back,  
>Don't ever look back<em>

_My heart stops_  
><em>When you look at me<em>  
><em>Just one touch<em>  
><em>Now baby I believe<em>  
><em>This is real<em>  
><em>So take a chance and<em>  
><em>Don't ever look back,<em>  
><em>Don't ever look back<em>

He was having fun, the Warblers were enjoying themselves, they were on their way to earning themselves a place at Regionals, and Kurt was smiling at him. Was there anything better than this?

_I'mma get your heart racing  
>In my skin tight jeans<br>Be your teenage dream tonight  
>Let you put your hands on me<br>In my skin tight jeans  
>Be your teenage dream tonight<em>

As he ended the song, Blaine had never felt happier or more excited.

* * *

><p>"I just think..."<p>

"We know what you think, Rachel," Santana shot back before Rachel could finish, giving her a glare along with her remark. Rachel glared back angrily.

"Look, Rachel," Finn tried to calm her down, but it was to no avail.

"No! This is Sectionals, which will lead us to Regionals and then _New York_. I'm not going to have my chance at New York ruined!"

Mercedes had had enough. Not only was she insulting her, Sam and Kurt, but she was insulting Mr Schue and the entire glee club. They were just minutes away from performing at Sectionals, and _still_ she insisted she have the solo, if not the duet with Finn. She was crazy.

"Listen to me," Mercedes stood up, fixing her gaze on the smaller girl "Sam and I got the duet, so you can give up on that. Mr Schue gave it to us and you can't even respect his decision! He knows what he's doing!"

"He's more interested in making sure everyone feels happy than winning Sectionals and getting to New York!" Rachel yelled, finally letting go. Everyone stared at her.

"You're not getting the solo, Rachel, and that's that," Artie said reasonably "It's too late now."

Rachel turned on him, unaware Kurt was standing behind her and listening to every word, "I can sing that song better than him, and Mr Schue knows that! He only gave it to Kurt because he felt sorry for him! Honestly, the song is meant for a girl. Don't you think he'll get bullied more if he sings a girl's song? I can go out there now and sing it, I know it off by heart. Kurt shouldn't have gotten that solo!"

The stunned silence that followed was only broken by the sound of a choking sob and the slamming of a door. Too late, the glee club realised Kurt was gone. Rachel stared, open mouthed at what she'd just said.

"I... I didn't mean that..."

"Like hell you didn't!" Santana shouted, having to be held back by Puck as she tried to advance on the shorter singer.

"How could you say that, Rachel?" Finn sounded shocked and hurt "We all voted for him. And you know how much this means to him."

Rachel looked lost and confused herself, mumbling apologies as Sam tried to get Mercedes to calm down before she took Rachel's head off.

"You need to apologise to Kurt, not us," Mike said.

"Where is he?" Everyone looked around, then remembered he'd run.

"Crap," Puck growled "We just lost our soloist. I hope you're happy Rachel, because if we can't find him before we go out on stage in five minutes, we don't go on at all. Without him, we don't have twelve and we don't exactly have a back up this time."

That was the moment Mr Schue decided to walk into the room. Surveying the situation – Puck was still holding Santana back and Sam stood in front of Mercedes as she glared at Rachel like she wanted to tear her to pieces – he ran a hand through his hair.

"_What _is going on?"

* * *

><p>"BLAINE!"<p>

The singer jumped as his name was yelled, and he looked around for the source. Down the hall, Jeff and Nick were facing a third boy nervously – one in tears, and one he recognised instantly.

"Kurt!"

He raced down the hall and reached the three in seconds. Kurt threw himself at Blaine and hugged him, surprising Blaine. It was the first time Kurt had initiated a hug, or contact of any kind. As Kurt sobbed into his shoulder, Blaine glanced at his fellow Warblers.

"He was just saying your name," Nick said, as if that was enough explanation, and walked off with Jeff, glancing back at the pair a few times before they disappeared from view.

"Kurt, what's wrong? What happened?" Blaine asked, peeling Kurt off him and looking him in the eyes. Kurt sniffed, hiccupping a little as he tried to breathe and speak and cry all at the same time.

"Ra-Rach... said... couldn't sing... shouldn't... have the song..."

As Blaine pieced together what Kurt was trying to say, the boy leaned into him again and continued to cry. Finally, the Dalton boy understood and his blood began to boil at the thought.

"Kurt, did Rachel tell you that you shouldn't have gotten the solo?"

Kurt nodded into Blaine's shoulder, breathing a little easier now that he had his friend to calm him down from his hysterical state. Blaine hugged him back, wondering if there was anywhere he could dispose of a body around the place. Perhaps under the stage... Rachel would _love_ that.

"Kurt, it's okay. Your friends all voted for you to get the solo. They all believe in you, right? Rachel's just jealous. She's jealous because she knows you're just as good as her. And maybe she's scared that you're better."

Kurt looked up at him, admiration in his pale blue eyes, "Really?"

"I think so. Look, you need to get on stage soon. I'll take you back to your friends, okay? And then you're going to go out on that stage and sing. Right?"

Kurt nodded, the tear tracks still evident on his face but now he was smiling. He took Blaine's hand as they walked towards where New Directions would be waiting.  
>Blaine smiled at Kurt, knowing his moment was just a few minutes away.<p>

They found the room – the argument from inside was able to be heard from down the hall. Blaine pushed open the door to all hell breaking loose.

"What do you mean you _lost_ him!" an older man, Blaine assumed was their director, was trying not to yell. Rachel was almost cowering under the anger of the entire glee club. Puck was keeping a good grip on Santana, who was yelling something in Spanish at the brunette. Mercedes was yelling at her about 'how dare she say something like that in front of Kurt' and 'as bad as the bullies back at school'. Finn wasn't defending Rachel, but standing off to the side and looking at her in hopelessness.

"Um, hi?"

The room fell silent as Blaine spoke quietly. Even Santana cut down on her tirade to stare at Blaine and Kurt.

"KURT!" Mercedes yelled and rushed towards him, seeing he'd been crying. She glared at Rachel again, pointedly.

"I'm sorry Kurt, I didn't mean what I said," the girl said quietly.

Kurt just nodded, smiling at her slightly. It was enough to defuse the entire situation. Mercedes rushed Kurt into the adjacent bathroom to make sure he was stage-worthy, Santana following to check on her boy. Blaine shot Rachel a glance. He could tell she was genuinely sorry, but he was stunned that even she would say something like that.

"Try to make sure you don't lose your soloist again," he said to her, before ducking out of the room.

He barely got a few feet down the hall before someone called his name. He turned to see the director giving him a slight smile.

"Thanks for that."

"No problem. But like I said, you really should look after him better. He's special."

He had no idea why he was saying this to a stranger, but he got the vibe that this was someone he could trust, at least about Kurt. The man smiled.

"I know. You're from the Warblers, right?"

"Yeah. Blaine."

"Mr. Schuester, New Directions director. Good luck to you."

"And you."

* * *

><p>As Blaine settled into his seat, he couldn't wait to hear Kurt sing. It was something he'd been waiting for ever since he'd heard Kurt could sing. He knew he was a countertenor, but hearing Kurt sing...<p>

"Hey, was that the Kurt you keep telling us about in the hall?" Nick asked from where he was sitting in the row behind Blaine.

"Yeah. He was just upset."

"You like him."

"Shut up, they're starting."

And indeed they were.

"And now, from William McKinley High in Lima, Ohio, please welcome New Directions!"

Blaine saw Kurt on the stage, alone. He looked so small and vulnerable as he stood there in front of the microphone without his friends behind him.

And then the music started, and he opened his mouth.

_Something has changed within me  
>Something is not the same<br>I'm through with playing by the rules of someone else's game_

_Too late for second guessing  
>Too late to go back to sleep<br>It's time to trust my instincts  
>Close my eyes and leap<em>

Blaine sucked in a breath, astounded at the voice that came out of that small boy on the stage. Defying Gravity? If he could hit all the right notes, there was no way New Directions wouldn't win Sectionals. He could tell this was the sentiment of most of the Warblers – at least, the ones who knew the song. Beside him, Wes poked his side.

"We are so screwed."

_I'm through accepting limits  
>'Cause someone says they're so<br>Some things I cannot change  
>But 'til I try I'll never know<em>

_Too long I've been afraid of  
>Losing love I guess I'd lost<br>But if that's love  
>It comes at much too high a cost<em>

At this point, the New Directions members started to file in and stand at the back, facing away from the crowd. But everyone, including Blaine, was transfixed with Kurt belting out the lyrics at the front of the stage.

_I'd sooner buy  
>Defying gravity<br>Kiss me goodbye  
>I'm defying gravity<br>I think I'll try  
>Defying gravity<br>And you won't bring me down  
>Bring me down!<em>

As Kurt trailed off on the final note, he and Blaine locked eyes. He saw the smile pass over the boy's face and grinned in return. He'd hit _every_ right note, perfectly. It was the most perfect rendition of Defying Gravity he'd ever heard. Kurt's voice was, for want of a more descriptive word, _amazing_. He'd never heard anything like it. And the song was a beautiful choice. He wondered if that was how Kurt really thought – 'some things I cannot change, but 'til I try I'll never know' instantly sprang to mind.

He barely had time to think before Kurt had moved to stand with the rest of New Directions who had since turned to face the audience. New music started up and Blaine knew this was Mercedes and Sam's duet. When he recognised the song, he smiled. An odd choice, but he knew the pair would sing it amazingly.

Sam walked out from the rest of the group slowly, looking up at the roof before beginning his lines.

_You would not believe your eyes  
>If ten million fireflies<br>Lit up the world as I fell asleep_

As he sang, he raised his hands to the roof as he closed his eyes. The whole place darkened a little more and small bud lights in the roof glowed. Blaine had to stifle a laugh. They'd certainly gone all out.

"They're kidding," Jeff said in wonder as he looked up.

_'Cause they'd fill the open air  
>And leave tear drops everywhere<br>You'd think me rude but I would just stand and  
>Stare<em>

As he finished his lines, Sam spun to face Mercedes who had already walked out. The diva smiled at Sam as she sang her own lines, adding a little bit of 'Mercedes spice' to the song and making it her own.

_I'd like to make myself believe  
>That planet Earth turns slowly<br>It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep  
>'Cause everything is never as it seems<em>

Sam jumped back into the song with a smile, and Blaine wondered curiously if there was anything between the pair. The way they sang it would seem there was, but as far as he knew Sam was with Quinn. And he didn't pick Sam as the type of guy to cheat, and neither was Mercedes the type of girl to take that sort of crap from anyone.

'_Cause I'd get a thousand hugs  
>From ten thousand lightning bugs<br>As they tried to teach me how to dance_

Sam danced around Mercedes as he sung the last line, grinning like the dork he was as he almost tripped over his own feet before continuing, New Directions echoing behind the pair.

_A foxtrot above my head  
>A sock hop beneath my bed<br>The disco ball is just hanging by a thread  
>(Thread, thread...)<em>

Sam and Mercedes jumped into the chorus together, alternating between looking at each other and the audience as they sang. Blaine was damn sure there was something going on, whether they knew it or not.

_I'd like to make myself believe  
>That planet Earth turns slowly<br>It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep  
>'Cause everything is never as it seems<br>(When I fall asleep)_

Now it was Mercedes's turn to sing alone, stepping away from Sam towards the front of the stage to sing to the crowd in front of her. They were enchanted by the odd duet, as was the Warblers. Blaine saw Nick swaying to the music, a few other boys staring as Mercedes belted out her lines in her typical diva fashion with Sam singing the echoes.

_Leave my door open just a crack  
>(Please take me away from here)<br>Cause I feel like such an insomniac  
>(Please take me away from here)<br>Why do I tire of counting sheep?  
>(Please take me away from here)<br>When I'm far too tired to fall asleep  
>(Ha-ha)<em>

_To ten million fireflies  
>I'm weird cause I hate goodbyes<br>I got misty eyes as they said farewell  
>(Said farewell)<br>But I'll know where several are  
>If my dreams get real bizarre<br>Cause I saved a few and I keep them in a jar  
>(Jar, jar, jar...)<em>

As Mercedes trailed off, the lights in the roof dimmed until they had completely gone and the darkness the whole place had descended into finally lifted a little. Mercedes and Sam powered through the chorus again, and when the final lines came, Sam was at the front of the stage in front of Mercedes. He half-whispered, half-sang the last lines, holding the audience spell-bound until the final moment.

_I'd like to make myself believe  
>That planet Earth turns slowly<br>It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep  
>Because my dreams are bursting at the seams<em>

There was silence after the music ended, the people struck by the magic between the two voices and the energy and humour with which they performed. But quickly that silence was shattered with rousing applause. Blaine stood up, cheering his friends on. Most of the other Warblers also stood to clap in admiration of the pair's talent. But before long, the final song was upon them. Blaine sat back down as Mercedes and Sam ducked back into place and the opening lines of the final song was shouted by the entire group.

_Teenage dream in a teenage circus  
>Running around like a clown on purpose<br>Who gives a damn about the family you come from?  
>No giving up when you're young and you want some<em>

Blaine couldn't help but laugh at the contrast between the solo and duet and now the group performance. It was so sudden that a lot of the audience looked dumbstruck as New Directions continued, the boys singing the first lines with the girls echoing a second behind them.

_Running around again  
>(Running around again)<br>Running from running_

Rachel stepped out from the group for a moment to sing her lines. Blaine rolled his eyes. Why had she been so horrible to Kurt when she still got to sing in the performance? It wasn't as if she'd been cut out of the songs altogether.

_Waking up in the midday sun  
>What's to live for?<br>You could see what I've done  
>Staring at emotion<br>In the light of day  
>I was running from the things that you'd say<em>

Surprisingly to Blaine, it was Mike who sung the next lines. The group dropped to the ground, leaving the Asian standing alone as he sung the few lines alone. Knowing how awkward the teenager was about singing, Blaine was curious about his newfound confidence.

_We are not what you think we are  
>We are golden, we are golden<br>We are not what you think we are  
>We are golden, we are golden<em>

The whole group then again launched into the chorus, following their previous routine of the boys starting and girls echoing as the staggered lines came back into the song. Blaine sat back and enjoyed the song, keeping his gaze on Kurt as the boy sang and danced with his friends.

_Teenage dreams in a teenage circus  
>Running around like a clown on purpose<br>Who gives a damn about the family you come from?  
>No giving up when you're young and you want some<em>

_Running around again  
>(Running around again)<br>Running from running  
>Running around again<br>(Running around again)  
>Running from running<em>

Now it was Finn's turn to sing. Blaine watched as he came out of the group and powerfully delivered his lines, even managing a little of the high notes the song required.

_I was a boy at an open door  
>Why you staring<br>Do you still think that you know?  
>Looking for treasure<br>In the things that you threw  
>Like a magpie<br>I live for glitter, not you_

By the time the end of the song came around, the entire audience was on its feet and clapping along to the beat. The Warblers were among them, cheering and shouting to the competition on stage. Even Wes managed to cheer the group on. But the song had to come to an end. New Directions was at the front of the stage and they dropped to their knees, once again leaving Mike standing. He sung the final lines with a smile on his face, pointing out into the crowd.

_We are not what you think we are  
>We are golden, we are golden<em>

There was deafening applause for the group as they bowed and walked off stage. Blaine fell back into his seat, knowing Regionals was probably long gone to the Warblers by now. But, he thought, if New Directions won he wasn't sure he'd mind too much.

* * *

><p>"That was amazing!"<p>

"I can't believe I did that!"

"Holy... that was the most insane thing ever!"

"THAT WAS EPIC!"

The group congratulated each other back stage, jumping around and hugging each other in their delight. Mercedes gave Kurt a bone-crushing hug before remembering his contact issue and letting go. He seemed too excited to care though and was bouncing up and down himself.

"I did it!"

"You were amazing Kurt," Mercedes grinned, Finn and the others agreeing. Even Rachel managed a smile and some praise for Kurt.

"You did really good too," Kurt said to Mercedes and Sam with a smile, and the pair shared a look.

* * *

><p>Waiting backstage for the word to come through that the decision had been made was agonising. The kids were still excited over the reaction they'd gotten from the audience and hadn't calmed down since. When Blaine and the rest of the Warblers walked backstage where New Directions was waiting, they were deafened by ecstatic cheering and whoops.<p>

"BLAINE!" Kurt yelled and tackled him the moment he saw the curly-haired singer approach. Blaine nearly fell over with the force of Kurt barrelling into him and he laughed breathlessly as the air was knocked out of him.

"You were amazing."

Kurt looked up at him with a gaze full of wonder and amazement, "You too!"

"Train and Katy Perry?" Santana laughed as he saw the Warblers, sauntering over, hips swaying in a way that had half the guys staring at her.

"Mika?" Jeff shot back, unaffected by her 'sexy' attempts – unlike Wes, David and a number of other boys. Santana chuckled.

"Touché."

Blaine left Santana to the Warblers – she probably wouldn't cause too much damage – and walked over with Kurt to the rest of New Directions.

"You were pretty good out there," Puck said, almost admiringly. Almost.

"You were great," Blaine replied "Mercedes, Sam, that was the strangest duet I've ever heard."

The pair shrugged, Mercedes grinning, "It's hard to find something to fit our voices. We were on odd duo, so we went with an odd song."

Blaine nodded, and turned to Mike, pointedly ignoring Rachel in between. She noticed his blatant display of anger and kept quiet, knowing it would take a little time for him to come around.

"You sang!"

Mike laughed with a dismissive shrug, "Hey, if Kurt, Mercedes and Sam can get out there and sing like that, I can too. I guess they gave me the confidence to get out there."

"Excuse me?"

The new voice instantly had everyone's attention. The three groups – the Hipsters talking quietly among themselves at the back – immediately quietened and looked at the woman standing on front of them.

"The decision's been made. You're all needed on stage now."

Blaine looked over at Kurt as Santana wandered back to her friends – half a dozen boys watching her go. Finally. They would know who had won, and who had lost. To Blaine, it was pretty clear who was going on to Regionals. But it was up to the judges. He let go of Kurt's hand as he walked back to his friends, and the odd looks they were giving him. He ignored them.

This was it.

* * *

><p>"Going on to Regionals this year is..."<p>

The silence was painful, Blaine having to bit his lip to stop himself from screaming at the suspense. It was cliché, but it was seriously _killing_ him. He was so caught up in forcing himself not to burst he almost missed the declaration.

"It's a tie, between New Directions and the Dalton Academy Warblers. Congratulations, you're both going to Regionals."

The two groups were silent for only a split second before they both erupted into ear-splitting cheers and shouts. Blaine laughed at the ecstatic grins on his friends' faces, only because he knew he had a matching one plastered on his own face. _A tie_. How many times did something like that happen? It was unbelievable.

As the two groups moved their celebration backstage, Blaine found himself running towards the friends he'd made over the last few months. And he found Kurt running towards him, just as excited as the rest of them. They met halfway, grabbing each other in a hug that had Kurt literally swept off his feet for a second. The pair laughed, happier than they'd ever been.

"I can't believe it! We're both going to Regionals!" Blaine sighed after he finally managed to stop laughing. It was surreal and he still wasn't sure it had fully sunk in. Kurt was staring at him, pale eyes wide.

"Je peux te poser une question?"

Blaine frowned. Though his French was steadily getting better due to his constant presence around Kurt (finally it all seemed to be sinking in!), he wasn't sure what Kurt had asked. He pulled Kurt aside to where they were hidden from the gazes of the others and Kurt, knowing, was already typing something into his iPod. He couldn't be separated from that thing, and it was handy when Blaine was stuck trying to interpret some tricky French. Kurt gave the iPod to Blaine and he read what Kurt had written into the translator.

_Can I ask you something?_

"Of course Kurt, you can ask me anything. What is it?"

"Sommes-nous petits-copains?"

For some reason, Blaine thought a few of those words sounded familiar. Just to check, and calm his frantic heart because he was _sure_ he knew what Kurt had just said, he translated it.

_Are we boyfriends?_

He'd certainly heard him right. Blaine couldn't breathe for a moment. Of all the things Kurt could have asked... He swallowed and managed to get a response out, all the while trying not to say _I wish we were, I wish we were, you have no idea how much I wish it was true._

"Why do you ask?"

"Mercedes nous a demandé, tu te souviens ? Est-ce que tu le sais maintenant?"

Kurt took the iPod off Blaine as he spoke, typing in the words himself. When he handed it back, he looked at Blaine with a hopeful gaze. Blaine stared at the translation so he wouldn't have to look into those beautiful pale eyes, watching him carefully.

_Mercedes was asking, remember? Do you know now?_

Blaine vaguely remembered the awkward conversation at Breadstix when Mercedes had asked if they were official. He'd answered with the standard 'I don't know'. Because really, how could he be sure? Kurt was different, and as much as Blaine didn't want to treat him as such, he still had to be careful. 'Boyfriends' was a big thing, even if it didn't seem so to Kurt. Did he even understand what that meant? He decided to ask, and Kurt gave him a curious look.

"Comme Finn et Rachel, les disputes en moins. Et avec deux garçons. Mercedes dit que c'est ok. N'est-ce pas?"

Blaine took a few moments to translate that, though he recognised a few of the French words. It was easier to translate knowing that, and soon he was chuckling as he read the English version out loud.

_Like Finn and Rachel, just no fighting. And with two boys. Mercedes said that's okay. Right?_

"Yeah, she's right. Do... do you want to be... boyfriends?" Blaine asked hopefully, trying to force that fluttering hope down. He couldn't afford to let himself dream and then have it torn down. He wasn't sure he'd be able to live through that.

Kurt smiled and rested his head in Blaine's shoulder as he hugged him, "Mm-hmm."

Blaine grinned. _Kurt was his boyfriend. He was Kurt's boyfriend. _Somehow, he knew he would never get tired of that. He peeled Kurt off of him for a moment and looked at him.

"You want to meet my friends?"

Kurt looked nervous for a moment, and Blaine knew he hated being too close to strangers, especially if they all started in on him at once. But then Kurt nodded, and Blaine smiled. He took Kurt's hand and led him back to where the Warblers were celebrating.

"Blaine!" Wes noticed his friend first. And ever the observant friend he was, he completely missed the kid standing next to him until he was a foot away and skidded to a stop before he crashed into both of them.

"Oh, hey."

"Wes, this is Kurt."

"Oh, so you're Kurt?" Wes was instantly on guard – Blaine had told them about Kurt's autism, and he didn't want to do anything to scare him. David suddenly noticed his friend's reappearance and jogged over to the three with a massive grin. The rest of the Warblers followed him like baby ducks after their mother, still celebrating their semi-win.

"Guys, shut up for half a second, will you?" Blaine called as Kurt pressed against him worriedly. Blaine rubbed a thumb across his _boyfriend's _hand reassuringly, something that was entirely missed by Wes but not by slightly-less clueless David.

"You're Kurt, right?" Jeff called from somewhere in the back, recognising the kid with Blaine instantly. Blaine glared at him and the blonde shut up. He took a deep breath before looking at Kurt.

This was it.

"Guys, this is Kurt. My... boyfriend."

God, there were still butterflies when he said the word. Blaine grinned like an idiot as Kurt smiled shyly and the Warblers stared in shock. Then...

"Oh my God, how could you not tell us earlier!"

"Blaine, are you serious?"

"You can't just spring that on us!"

"Finally!"

"You two are so cute!"

"What the hell!"

"When did this happen!"

Blaine laughed a little at his friends' shock.

"Look, it was just now, okay?" he said, reassuring them that he had not actually been keeping this a secret, and they were in fact the first to know, so they could shut up and stop scaring the crap out of Kurt now because he was autistic and didn't like all the attention.

And attention he was getting. Jeff had come up to Kurt and was striking up a conversation with the shyer boy. A few other boys also walked up to him; Liam, Trent and Mason. Kurt was trying not to look scared but was failing miserably, and Blaine pulled him back. The Warblers understood and quietened the shouting and backed off the boy that was now Blaine's _boyfriend_.

Kurt was tugging on Blaine's hand and the Warbler quickly told his friends he was going. They watched him leave, Wes shaking his head.

"How could I not see this coming?"

"Same way you won't see this coming," David replied and promptly slapped the back of his friend's head.

* * *

><p>Mercedes watched as Kurt dragged Blaine towards them, the pair extremely happy – though she thought they were a little too happy despite the situation. She nudged Santana and gestured to the boys. The girl laughed.<p>

"I think it's on."

"What?" Mercedes asked, just as Kurt and Blaine reached them. The group was instantly fixed on them, including Finn - a fact that worried Mercedes a little. This couldn't end well, not with the absolutely _terrified _looks Blaine was shooting at the footballer.

"Hey hey hey hey!" Kurt shouted excitedly, jumping up and down as he gripped Blaine's hand tightly. Everyone fell silent, and suddenly Mercedes felt incredibly sorry for Blaine. Finn was going to _kill_ him, if what Kurt was about to say was what she thought it was...

"Blaine's my boyfriend!"

Yep, she thought, Blaine was dead.

There was a mixture of reactions. The girls were all happy for Kurt, grinning and smiling and congratulating the pair. Brittany was confused, as usual, as she said rather loudly 'I thought that was ages ago?'. Even Quinn managed to be happy for the pair, though she was still shooting Sam dirty looks. Rachel simply stared in shock, unable to speak. The boys had a huge variance in reactions. Sam muttered 'finally' to himself before congratulating the pair, as did a grinning Artie. Mike slapped Blaine on the back and told him he'd better watch out for Kurt, or they'd kill him. Puck laughed himself stupid, mostly at the look on Finn's face. The step-brother was staring, dumbfounded.

"Wh...wha... when..."

"Yes, how long has this been going on?" Rachel asked.

"Um... about five minutes?" Blaine supplied nervously.

This only sent Puck into more laughter, snorting as he tried to contain himself.

"Rachel, the whole Klaine thing has been going on since they first met. I can't believe you haven't seen it," Tina chuckled.

That got the couple's attention. Blaine frowned, "Klaine?"

Mercedes explained, "Oh, when someone gets together in the group, we make a name for them. Rachel and Finn are Finchel, Quinn and Sam are...were Quam, Tina and Mike are Tike. You're Klaine. You know, 'Kurt and Blaine'."

Finn was still lost.

"I don't get it!"

"They're boyfriends, what's not to get?" Puck sniggered.

"No! I mean... I don't..."

"Why don't you just think about it for a while," Santana said dryly "I'm sure you'll get it through your thick head eventually."

At that moment, Mr Schue walked up. He saw the varying states of his glee kids, including Puck's almost hysterical laughter at Finn, and noticed the handholding between Kurt and Blaine.

"What's going on?" he asked, not sure he wanted to know.

* * *

><p><em>Boyfriends.<em>

Blaine smiled as he pulled into his driveway. Sectionals had gone better than he'd ever hoped for. He'd gotten through to Regionals. So had Kurt. He and Kurt were _boyfriends_. Honestly, life couldn't get any better.

But it could get worse.

Blaine sighed as he shut the ignition off and got out of his car. He was home for the weekend, and he knew he'd have to face his parents. Maybe he wouldn't tell them about Kurt just yet. They were still confused over the whole 'gay thing'. Yeah, he'd keep that little bit to himself.

But the tie with New Directions. Blaine bit his lip as he reached his front door and hesitantly knocked.

This was it.

* * *

><p><strong>Yes, I'm going to leave this chapter on a cliff hanger ;) I'm just horrible like that. But please, review! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. And again, thanks so much to all the people who have reviewed this! By the way, the songs are from Train, Katy Perry, Wicked, Owl City and Mika respectively (or something like that - at any rate, they're not mine :P)<strong>

**NEXT: Blaine's parents aren't exactly overjoyed with their son...**


	5. Close Your Eyes

**Thanks much to Verdandil for being totally awesome and also for the French help :)**

**Wanted to do something of Blaine's, so this is pretty angsty and gives you a little bit of his past. It will all be explained eventually, you'll just have to wait and see :) But for now, enjoy the suspense. This won't turn into some 'oh-no-Blaine's-life-is-horrible' fics that tend to go around (despite the fact I actually really do like those :P) I just want to show that Kurt's not the only one dealing with some issues, especially relationship-wise. Everyone's got them.**

**Oh, and I thanked all the reviewers in the last chapter, but I didn't thank all the people that have added the story to their favourites, have put it on their alerts, or simply just read the story and I don't know about you :) You're just as awesome as the reviewers! **

* * *

><p><span>Close Your Eyes<span>

**Blaine goes home to his parents and suddenly everything's falling down around him. Only Kurt and his family is there for him when he needs them. Featuring scared Blaine, protective Kurt, dopey-yet-sweet Finn, some fighting and pancakes! **

Blaine stepped back, staring at the door and almost willing no one to be home. Then he wouldn't have to face his parents, tonight of all nights. Something amazing had just happened and he didn't want it spoiled by a careless remark.

The door opened to reveal his mother standing there, her dark hair pulled back in a loose ponytail and hands on her hips. She stared at her son for a moment, before breaking into a smile and pulling him into the house and into a hug. Startled, Blaine hesitantly hugged her in return, not sure where this sudden display of affection was coming from.

"How was Sectionals? You won, didn't you? Of course you did, you're the Warblers' best soloist, how could you not win?" Carmen Anderson grinned as she released her son and looked him over. He hadn't had the chance to change once he'd gotten back to Dalton, so he was still in his uniform. He tugged on the blazer, uncomfortable with the directions his mother's words were taking. She was just making it that much harder to tell her about the draw.

"Uh..."

Carmen's eyes narrowed, looking at her son carefully, "What is it?"

"Sectionals was a tie," Blaine said, breathing deeply "between the Warblers and the New Directions from Lima."

Carmen was silent for a moment. Pursing her lips, she regarded her son curiously and Blaine shifted from foot to foot, hoping she would just let it go. He was going to Regionals, what did it matter that he'd tied instead of won?

But of course, career-dead singer Carmen Anderson couldn't let it go.

"A tie? How did that happen?" Now she sounded disappointed.

"I guess the judges thought we were both good enough to get through," Blaine shrugged, as if it wasn't such a big deal. But for his mother, this was _huge_.

"What are you talking about? This other group – New Directions? How can they be as good as the Warblers, especially with you as their soloist?"

Blaine sighed. He hadn't wanted to get into this just yet (if ever) but Carmen was pushing it and he had no choice but to answer her.

"I don't know. They were pretty good. Their soloist sang Defying Gravity to perfection," he said, smiling as he remembered watching Kurt sing. He'd had no idea Kurt could sing like that. His mother, with hands on her hips again, looked thoughtful.

"Did she hit the high F?"

"Yeah, he did."

"He?"

Blaine winced internally. Now she was going to have a _fit_. He sighed as Carmen stared at him in absolute shock, mouth slightly open as she worked that over in her head. Finally, she spoke what she was obviously thinking, Blaine preparing himself for whatever she might say. He was _not_ going to take this personally. She didn't know it was his boyfriend that had sung the solo – she didn't know he _had_ one – and he was going to pretend that he didn't care about all the awful things she was sure to say. But he found that incredibly hard as his mother carried on.

"They had a _male_ soloist singing a _female_ song?" Carmen almost screeched "How could they even allow that? Men shouldn't have voices that _high_, it's unnatural! I'll bet he's gay to boot, isn't he?"

Blaine nodded and sighed. He was having a hard time not jumping in to Kurt's defence, desperate not to start a fight with his mother now. He was exhausted and all he wanted to do was sleep. If Carmen hadn't been almost screaming in his ear he would have dropped off on his feet right in front of her.

"Of course he is! I'll have to find some footage of that kid. I'll bet the judges had a field day with that one! What else did that _group_sing?"

Anger rippled up Blaine's spine, making him twitch. She had no right to say anything about his friends and boyfriend like that. But he took a deep breath, calming himself down. Yelling at Carmen Anderson only ended in one massive argument that didn't end until the other person grovelled for forgiveness and even _then_...

"Fireflies by Owl City and We Are Golden by Mika. It was special though – their soloist is autistic." he managed to reply through gritted teeth.

"Huh."

Blaine wondered if his mother even knew what that meant.

At that moment, a familiar figure appeared and Blaine tensed. The addition of his father wouldn't help at all. Not that he knew the first thing about music, but he'd take Carmen's side as he always did because being on the other side was potentially dangerous and there was the serious chance of bodily harm.

"What's going on?" Daniel Anderson asked as he approached warily.

His wife turned around, still ranting about the inappropriateness of the whole thing, and the draw between New Directions and the Warblers being ridiculous. Daniel raised an eye at his son and Blaine wanted to just _die_. Anything to get him the hell out of this painful and awkward situation.

"So you didn't win?"

"Not exactly," Blaine said "We tied."

"You should have won!" Carmen said, a little calmer now as she straightened her jacket and took a deep breath. She faced her son again, smiling. It was unnerving,  
>the way she could switch between moods so quickly.<p>

"Why don't you go up to bed, Blaine?" she said "You look exhausted."

Thankful yet confused, Blaine nodded and headed for his room. Before he could take two steps though, his phone buzzed for a text. He pulled it out of his pocket and glanced at it – it was from Finn.

_Burt wants to kill u right now thought u should know ;P_

Blaine managed a small smile despite the fact he was absolutely _terrified _of Kurt's father. Finn had obviously gotten over his confusion and had accepted the whole thing, evident by the fact he wasn't ranting to him that he was going to murder him or telling him to stay the hell away from Kurt. It was a good sign.

"Who is it, Blaine?" Carmen asked.

Blaine started, having forgotten he was still in his parents' presence. He swallowed, feeling a little nervous. This conversation could go very sour very fast.

"No one."

Daniel looked suspicious. He held out his hand and said commandingly, "Give me the phone."

"Why? It's none of your business," Blaine shot back defensively. Because he knew if his father found out about Kurt, he was done for. If he found out his son was  
>acting on that 'gayness' the man found so offensive, there was no way he'd be getting out of this without a fight.<p>

"Listen to your father, Blaine," Carmen added.

"Give me the phone."

"No."

Blaine tried to shove the phone back into his pocket but Daniel lunged for it and snatched it out of his hand. There was nothing Blaine could do but look on helplessly as his father stared at the text on the screen.

"Who's Burt?"

"Just the father of one of my friends."

"I know all your friends' parents, Blaine. And why the hell does he want to kill you?"

Blaine was lost for words. What could he say to get him out of this mess that was quickly snowballing out of control? There seemed to be nothing he could say except the truth. And he knew they would eventually find out. Something inside him fell into place and he squared his shoulders, facing his father defiantly. He wasn't going to hide anymore.

"He's the father of one of my friends from Lima. And he wants to kill me because we're not just friends. He's my boyfriend."

The look on Daniel's face was full of shock. He stared, astounded at the revelation and he struggled to say something. Carmen took over though, turning on her son with a cruel, knowing glare.

"Lima? Don't tell me he's one of those New Direction kids... he is, isn't he?"

Realisation seemed to dawn on her and her face fell in horror, "He's the soloist? The gay soloist?"

Blaine shot her a hard look, "Yeah, he is. His name's Kurt. And I swear, if you say something against him now I will..."

"You'll _what_?" Daniel thundered, shutting Blaine up completely. The teenager froze and stared at his father as the man closed the space between them, leaving only an inch of breathing space. Not that he could breathe anyway. He could barely even blink as his father looked down at him with that anger and fury.

"I don't care _how_ special this kid is," the man said in a low tone "You will _not_ be seeing him again. You will not be speaking with him again. And if I find that you are, I will not be letting you back at that school of yours. I'll send you back to St Dominic's where you behaved."

Blaine shivered at the name of the school. _St Dominic's_. The boarding school in Europe he never wanted to hear of nor see again. The school with all those memories he never wanted to have to remember or relive.

"Are we clear?"

Blaine swallowed, shaking as he replied, "Yes sir."

"Now get to your room."

As Blaine ran for his room, he tried to force the breaths in and out of his body, because his lungs had decided to give up right about the time St Dominic's had been mentioned. He was _not_ going back there. He refused to go back there. If there was one thing he was afraid of, it was that school.

He slammed the door of his room behind him, sinking to the floor as his knees gave out. He dropped his head to his hands, trembling as he forced the memories down, down, down as far as they would go. He didn't want to remember what had happened there. It had hurt enough the first time.

He wasn't sure how long he sat there. A few minutes, an hour? His thoughts whirled around, mostly focused on the ultimatum. He couldn't see Kurt. It was life without Kurt, or St Dominic's. And either way he'd lose Kurt. It was an impossible choice – he couldn't leave Kurt now. He loved him. More than he'd ever loved anyone else. But if he didn't break ties now...

An idea came to Blaine's mind. He shook at the thought of trying it out, but it was the only thing he could think of that would keep him with Kurt and away from St Dominic's. It was risky and if his father decided to enforce his ruling there might be no escaping St Dominic's. But if it worked... if it worked, he'd get away from his father, away from his controlling mother, away from St Dominic's and he'd be with Kurt. But he'd also be away from Dalton. Away from his friends there, and the Warblers. Was Kurt worth losing all that?

Blaine, hands still shaking, pulled out his phone. If there was _anyone_ in the world worth risking this over, it was Kurt. He found the number he needed and dialled. Waiting for the other end to pick up was agonizing, but finally a voice sounded.

"_Blaine? What's going on?"_Finn asked curiously, sounding as if he'd just been woken up.

"Finn... I... can I..." he hated how he couldn't stop his voice from shaking as much as the rest of him. Finn, thick as he was, picked up on the tremble and was instantly  
>on guard.<br>_  
>"Dude, what's going on? Has something happened?"<br>_  
>"I just... Can I come over?"<br>_  
>"Um, I guess so. Why? It's really late..."<br>_  
>Blaine ignored that question, not quite ready to answer it, "Can I stay for a while?"<br>_  
>"Uh... look, what's going on? Are you okay? You don't sound so good..."<br>_  
>"Finn, just answer the question."<br>_  
>"If you need to. But Burt's really pissed off with you, I don't know..."<br>_  
>"I don't know who else to call."<p>

It was that one sentence that had Finn stopping his rambling and telling Blaine that if he needed to stay for a while, then he was more than welcome to stay as long as he needed to, but what was going on because he sounded really bad and was something wrong?

Blaine didn't want to answer any questions at the moment. It was too late to back out now – he had to do this. It was the only way he'd get away from his parents and get to stay with Kurt. Unless his father forced him into St Dominic's. He pushed that out of his mind, telling Finn he'd be there in about an hour and a half. And then he hung up mid-way through Finn's questioning.

Blaine stood up with sudden determination and tossed a few things into a bag. He wasn't really thinking about what he was doing. He was working on auto-pilot at the moment, grabbing what he needed and filling the bag. When he thought he had what he needed, he looked around his room. In the corner he saw his guitar in its case propped against the wall. He slung the bag over his shoulder and picked it up. There was no way he was leaving this behind. And what better way to show his parents that he wasn't coming back?

Slowly he opened his door and cautiously looked around and listened. He heard nothing and hoped his parents had gone to bed considering how late it was. Quietly he walked down the hallway and down the stairs, aware of every sound he made. If they heard him, they'd send him back to St Dominic's, no questions asked. No second chances. He had one shot at this.

He reached the front door and opened it. It creaked loudly and Blaine winced. He heard the sound of someone waking with a muffled yell of surprise and his heart plummeted to his stomach. His feet moved without his consent – he ran out the door and towards his car. Unlocking it, he threw everything in the back as some of the lights in the house flicked on. He managed to slip into the driver's seat and lock the doors just as his father appeared on the doorstep, furious. He stormed towards Blaine's car as he panicked and tried to start the engine. Daniel slammed his fist against the window, causing Blaine to freeze in fear.

"BLAINE ANDERSON, GET BACK INSIDE THE HOUSE NOW, AND THAT'S AN ORDER!"

Blaine couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't do anything. His fingers closed tightly over the keys and he willed himself to _do_ something. At last, shaking again, he managed to start the car. In a flurry of movement he put the car in reverse and slammed on the accelerator. Daniel jumped back to avoid being run over as his son screeched out of the driveway. They locked eyes as Blaine stopped for a moment. He stared with wide eyes at his father, Daniel glaring back with pure anger.

And then Blaine tore off down the road, finally able to breathe.

* * *

><p>When the faint knocking sounded, Finn jumped awake in surprise. He'd tried to wait up, knowing Blaine was coming, but he just couldn't keep his eyes open. After tiring himself out at Sectionals, all he wanted was to sleep for a hundred years.<p>

But Blaine has sounded really scared over the phone, and Finn couldn't say no. When he'd said he didn't who else to call, that was when Finn knew something was seriously wrong. People thought he was pretty dumb, and often he would agree with them, but this time he was sure that something bad had happened to Blaine. He didn't know what though, and that worried him.

He'd woken Burt and his mother and explained the situation as best he could. They'd understood, Carole setting up the guest bedroom for when Blaine arrived. Burt had said little but Finn knew he wouldn't say anything until the morning. Whatever was going on, Blaine at least needed to sleep on it before being subjected to questioning.

Finn ran to the door and opened it to reveal Blaine standing there, arms hugging his chest tightly and staring at the ground. He looked up suddenly when the door opened and Finn swore he saw a little bit of fear cross the kid's face before it was replaced with exhaustion. Finn stepped aside to let Blaine enter and had to catch him as he tried to take a step but fell.

"Wow, you are seriously tired," he joked, helping Blaine towards the room set up for him. Blaine said nothing, and was asleep by the time Finn managed to get him on the bed. The teenager sighed and shut the door quietly behind him before heading back to his own room.

* * *

><p>"FINN!"<p>

Groaning, Finn rolled over and opened his eyes. Sunlight was filtering in from the window, indicating a beautiful Saturday morning. He wondered vaguely for a moment what had awakened him, as he smelled the delicious smell of his mother's pancakes filling the house and heard his name being yelled again.

"FINN!"

Yep, definitely the yelling.

He pulled himself out of bed and wandered towards the kitchen, following his nose until he found his mother dishing out a massive stack of pancakes to Burt and Kurt. It was Kurt who'd been yelling for him to hurry up and he waited patiently for Carole's famed pancakes. Finn grinned and was about to sit down when he remembered the events of last night.

"Morning Finn," his mother smiled "You alright?"

"I'm just going to go check on Blaine..." he said before backing out of the kitchen. He caught sight of Kurt's confused face at the mention of his boyfriend's name before he shut the door and walked towards the guest bedroom. Hesitantly he knocked on the door, wondering if Blaine was up. When he didn't get a reply, he carefully eased open the door just to check.

Blaine was sat on the bed, arms wrapped around his knees which were pressed tightly against his chest. He rested his chin on them, staring off into space blankly. He jumped a mile when Finn cleared his throat to announce his presence and stared at him for a second.

"You sleep okay?"

Blaine nodded, managing a small smile of thanks.

"Well, there's pancakes if you want some."

Blaine nodded again, but the one-sided conversation was interrupted when Finn felt someone tugging on his shirt. He turned to see Kurt standing there. When the shorter boy saw Blaine he grinned and ran into the room. Finn figured now was probably a good time to leave them to it and shut the door before heading for the pancakes.

* * *

><p><em>I know he's watching me. I can feel him staring at me, like he's boring a hole in the back of my head. Please, just leave me alone. Just for tonight. I just want to go home. Please, can't you leave me alone for one day? One day is all I'm asking for.<em>

_He's following me now, and I can't breathe. I trip over my own feet as I hear his own following behind me, measured paces in a slow rhythm. He never runs. Never tries to chase me. He knows he'll catch up, because I can't run either. There's nowhere to run to. I'm all alone in this awful place so far away from home. Nowhere and no one to turn to._

"_Hey there Blaine."_

_There's his voice in my ear in that accent that so many girls find irresistibly sexy. Not me. He's right behind me, and now I'm stumbling and I have to put my arm out to the wall to stop myself from falling. But he catches me anyway, his hand digging in tightly around my arm. I still can't look at him._

_"You alright there?"_

_Stop pretending. Stop pretending, you... God, just stop pretending that everything is totally normal and you're not about to beat the crap out of me and whatever else you plan on doing._

_Now he's pulling me away and I look around, but no one's going to help me. No one's going to stop him. _

Blaine woke with a start to the sound of someone yelling. Instantly he froze and stared at the door, last night's events rushing back to him in a tidal wave of sound and colour. For a moment he didn't recognise the room he was in and panicked. But then he realised the yelling was someone shouting Finn's name, and he remembered driving all the way down from his place. He'd run away.

Suddenly cold, Blaine pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. He was cold and hurt and feeling more alone than ever. Maybe if he just sat here, hugging himself, he could squeeze out all those bad memories – from last night and perhaps beyond. Maybe he could finally forget.

He heard the sound of someone clearing their throat and jumped, twisting to see Finn standing in the doorway. He'd been so deep in thought he hadn't even realised someone was there.

"You sleep okay?"

Blaine nodded, smiling a little. Finn knew something was wrong but he didn't ask. He even made the conversation sound remotely normal, something Blaine wished his life was at the moment.

"Well, there's pancakes if you want some."

He could smell the food cooking and his stomach grumbled in protest to the fact that it knew Blaine wasn't going to be getting up any time soon. He planned on hiding in this room for as long as possible before having to face the inevitable questioning from Finn and Burt. He didn't even want to think about it now, let alone have to talk.

Finn stepped aside for a moment and Blaine smiled as he saw Kurt standing there. The boy ran in with a smile in return, and Blaine was grateful when Finn shut the door behind him. Kurt sat on Blaine's bed, tilting his head and looking at him in confusion.

"Morning," Blaine tried, but Kurt wasn't having any of it.

"Qu'est-ce qui ne va pas?" he asked, the concern in his eyes obvious enough to translate the French for Blaine. He sighed, shaking his head.

"Nothing. It's fine."

"Non, ce n'est pas vrai. Tu es triste. Je n'aime pas te voir triste. Qu'est-ce qui ne va pas?"_  
><em>  
>Kurt already had his translator, aka iPod, out and had typed in the question. He handed it to Blaine who was far too tired to be flipping from English to French.<p>

_No, it's not true. You're sad. I don't like seeing you sad. What's wrong?_

"I had a fight," Blaine started, and at the word 'fight' Kurt was instantly on guard and grabbed Blaine's head in both hands. He rambled on in disjointed French, panic obvious in his voice as he checked his boyfriend over insistently, almost ripping his blazer off in the process. Blaine took Kurt's hands in his own and pulled them away, surprised as his reaction.

"T'ont-ils fait mal?"_  
><em>  
>Kurt seemed frustrated when Blaine didn't understand and impatiently typed it into his iPod before holding it up in front of his boyfriend's face.<p>

_Did they hurt you?_

Blaine smiled and shook his head, "No, it was just an argument. With my parents. They got mad at me so I came here."

Kurt frowned in suspicion for a moment, staring at Blaine carefully to make sure for himself that he was okay. Then he relaxed a fraction, breathing deeply in relief.

"Promets-moi que ça va aller?"_  
><em>  
>Blaine understood and nodded, "I promise."<p>

At the look on Kurt's face, with one eyebrow raised in disbelief, Blaine laughed and answered again, "I promise it'll be alright. I'm okay. Honest."

Kurt smiled again and leaned forward to hug Blaine tightly. With his arms around his boyfriend, Blaine smiled. His parents couldn't do anything; he felt in control for the briefest moment and now that he was away from their influence, he could keep that little bit of control he felt and he could take it. He could _be_ in control for once.

When Kurt pulled away, Blaine realised he was still in his Dalton uniform. He hadn't changed out of it after Sectionals and had gone straight home after the bus had dropped him back at Dalton. The only thing missing was the tie, which he remembered ripping off in the car on the way to Kurt's. He couldn't breathe as it was and the tie hadn't helped. It always felt so constricting around his throat, cutting off his air.

He remembered his bag and guitar in his car and moved to stand. But then he paused. He didn't really want to go out there just yet. He wanted to sleep forever and maybe a little longer. Exhausted, Blaine sunk back down onto the bed, resting his head in his hands. With eyes closed, he heard Kurt shifting and when he felt gentle fingers twining with his own, he looked up and saw the boy sitting in front of him, legs crossed and a small smile on his face.

"Je t'aime."

Blaine smiled, "I love you too."

"Je ne laisserai personne te faire du mal."_  
><em>  
>Blaine's heart skipped a beat. He'd been practising that exact line over and over so he could say it to Kurt. It both made him happy and troubled him to hear Kurt saying that to him.<p>

_I won't let anyone hurt you._

"And I promise I won't let anything hurt you. Ever. I promise I'll keep you safe."

As Kurt smiled, Blaine wished there'd been someone to say that to him two years ago.

* * *

><p>"Hey kid, you in here?"<p>

Blaine jumped as the door opened and revealed Burt standing in the doorway. The man had a mixed expression of worry and fierce protective spirit on his face and Blaine had to smile a little. Burt was honestly the best father anyone could have – it just sucked that not everyone could have one. At that thought, he lost his smile and ducked his head back down. Burt walked into the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.

"Mind if I sit?"

Blaine shook his head, watching carefully as Burt sat on the edge of the bed and regarded him almost curiously. Swallowing, Blaine bit his lip. He still didn't want to talk about it. He wasn't sure he'd ever want to talk about it.

"Haven't seen you today," Burt said simply.

"Sorry," Blaine replied automatically, Burt raising an eyebrow.

"You don't have to apologise. But you do need to eat. And you can't hide away in here forever."

Blaine nodded in response. He'd been 'hiding', as Burt put it (and if he was honest, it was true) in his room since he'd woken, and now it was past four in the afternoon. Finn had gone and gotten his bag and guitar from his car for him and Blaine had changed out of his uniform, but he still hadn't left the room or, as Burt had reminded him, had anything to eat. His stomach was actually starting to hurt now as it rioted against him.

"Would you like to tell me why you call here late at night and ask to crash for a while?" Burt asked without any hint of prejudice or discomfort. Yet Blaine stiffened and ducked his head away from the man's gaze.

"I'm sorry sir, I'll head back home tonight if it's a problem. I didn't mean to..."

Burt interrupted him, "And stop right there. I was just asking. Why so defensive?"

Blaine stayed silent on that one, not wanting to answer as he knew he'd end up having to explain something he didn't really want to be dredging up at all. After a long, awkward silence, Burt asked another question – one he'd obviously wanted to ask for a little while now.

"Kurt tells me you two are boyfriends."

Blaine tensed despite himself. Burt had given him a safe haven to crash at, why was he suddenly so afraid? He knew why, but didn't want to think of it. Plus, there was the small fact that Finn had said Burt probably wanted to kill him. And Blaine didn't blame him. He had someone coming on to his autistic gay son. Most parents would probably have a problem with that.

"Are you?"

"Yes sir," was the quick reply.

"Well, then there's just two things I need to know."

Blaine plucked up the courage to look at Burt and saw the seriousness in his eyes. He swallowed, wondering what Burt was going to ask him.

"What will you do to make sure my son is safe? 'Cause you know it's a cruel world out there, Blaine."

Blaine already knew the answer to that, "Anything. Absolutely anything."

But raised an eyebrow and saw Blaine was serious, so asked his second question, "Most people love my son. But are you _in_love with him?"

He didn't need to think about that one either. Blaine managed a smile and nodded.

"Yes. I'm pretty sure I am."

At that, Burt nodded and stood up. He faced Blaine for a moment, an odd expression on his face that Blaine couldn't quite understand. And then it was gone, and Burt moved to the door.

"Just don't hurt him Blaine. Or I will hurt you, and _that_is a promise I will keep."

"Yes sir."

* * *

><p><strong>Please review!<strong>

**NEXT: Blaine is trapped between his family and his boyfriend...**


	6. Beauty Or The Beast?

**Thanks so much for all the support for this story. There are heaps of words to describe all you reviewers, but the best one I can come up with is _awesome_! **

**Thank you with insane amounts of love to _Verdandil_ for the translations, and to _snape-rules44_ for being my awesome new beta! Oh, and I'm tossing my two Warbler OCs in this fic, Liam and Mason - they won't be important, but mentioned. **

* * *

><p><span>Beauty Or The Beast?<span>

**After that little incident with his family, Blaine hopes it's all over with. But then he just can't keep his mouth shut and the worst happens. Featuring clueless Wes, supportive Warblers, plotting Puck, smart Finn, some snuggly Klaine and some Disney.**

Blaine couldn't help but smile as he saw his friends approaching him. Despite all that had happened that past weekend – all those things he'd rather forget about – the look on Wes's face as he walked up to Blaine with David still made him laugh.

"What's so funny?" Wes asked irritably, as the three headed down the hall towards their next classes.

"Nothing. What's up with you though, you look annoyed."

"We tied at Sectionals."

Blaine rolled his eyes, "So?"

We stared at him like he was insane, eyes wide in shock, "It means we weren't good enough to win! We have to work our butts off to pull Regionals off!"

Blaine was about to reply, but was interrupted when Jeff and Nick walked up to them, cutting their friend off with their own question.

"How's Kurt? You see him this weekend? Besides Sectionals, of course," Jeff smirked, resting his elbow and most of his weight on Nick's shoulder. The other rolled his eyes and  
>shifted a little, unbalancing his friend and making him stumble.<p>

"Yeah, I did," Blaine said almost defensively "He's fine, why?"

"Nothing!" Jeff held his hands up in surrender "Just... we're all happy for you, right guys?"

David nodded, Wes agreeing a second later. Blaine smiled. He'd been far too defensive this weekend, something he wanted to drop and forget about. He just wanted to go back to being Blaine again, the one who didn't worry about his parents or St Dominic's... or what happened.

* * *

><p>Blaine made it through his classes without a single mishap, which in itself was an odd thing seeing as he had been stuck with Mason for a double period of Chemistry and the kid was a freaking <em>pyro<em>. He'd already been banned from touching most of the stuff in the classroom, yet somehow always managed to find a way to blow something up or set something on fire. But today it seemed he'd toned down a little on the pyrotechnics and didn't explode anything for once.

Blaine headed down the hall towards where the rest of the Warblers would be waiting for the after school meeting. He knew they'd be discussing the tie at Sectionals, and what they could do to actually push forward just that little bit more and win. That had his thoughts trailing off to New Directions, and from there, Kurt.

The Hummel-Hudsons had been amazing to him, letting him stay those nights and not pushing for answers. They seemed to understand that he needed his space at the moment and had left him be. The talk with Burt had been awkward but at least he knew where he stood now. And Kurt had been so worried for him, continually asking if he was really alright. He'd felt guilty every time he'd replied with 'I'm fine, Kurt'. Because really, it was a lie and they both knew it. He wasn't fooling anyone, not even Kurt.

With a sigh, Blaine pushed open the door. Most of the Warblers were already there, minus one or two. Some of the boys looked up when he entered and smiled at him.

"Hey Blaine!" Liam called out "You reckon you can get me that hot girl's number? From New Directions?"

Blaine laughed, "Which one? The Latina or the blonde?"

"Latina."

With a chuckle, Blaine rolled his eyes and sat down on one of the couches, shaking his head, "You don't want to go near her, Liam. She'll eat you alive."

"And no one is dating anyone from New Directions!" Wes jumped in "They're the enemy!"

"I think you're overlooking something here, Wes," David shook his head at the blindness of his friend. It took a moment of Blaine glaring for Wes to realize what he'd said.

"Oh... fine."

"And anyway, we all know you have a crush on that Mercedes girl," Trent piped up, making all the boys laugh as Wes went red.

"I do not!"

"Then how come you talk about her _all_the time?" Nick asked.

David nodded, "And moan about how she's _so_out of your league?"

Wes was slowly turning a deeper shade of red until finally he managed to shut everyone else up with an embarrassed "That's ridiculous!"

Blaine kept quiet as the other Warblers traded jokes and insults with Wes about his apparent crush on Mercedes. If she hadn't done the duet with Sam, he would have told Wes to go for it. She was single, and would probably like him. But since the duet, he'd been wondering. He'd heard from Finn about the Sam and Quinn breakup. Was there something there? He didn't want to get his friend's hopes up only to be dashed by a kid who looked like Justin Bieber. The self-esteem crush would be devastating.

"Blaine! You know Mercedes!" Wes asked desperately "She wouldn't be interested in me, would she?"

And here it was; the awkward question. He answered it as truthfully as he could.

"I don't know. You'd have to ask her."

At that moment, the doors swung open and a couple of the boys looked up. They expected to see one of the students who were late, walking in and apologizing for making them wait. But they were all surprised when they saw the man that walked in; Blaine more so than anyone else.

"Blaine Anderson."

His father stood in the doorway, arms folded and staring at his son. Blaine suddenly felt cold. What was his father doing here? He'd hoped to avoid a confrontation with the man, at least until the weekend when he was expected to go home from boarding. But here he was, not only forcing a confrontation but almost demanding it.  
>Slowly he stood and walked towards the man, hoping not to make him angry in front of his friends. He didn't want to answer more questions than he already had to.<p>

"Blaine?" David asked cautiously.

"It's alright, I'll just be a minute," Blaine replied, never taking his eyes of his father. The pair stepped outside, Daniel closing the door firmly behind them before turning to face his son.

There was an awkward silence that stretched for far too long before Daniel decided to speak.

"What was that little stunt you pulled on Saturday? Running away like that?" he spoke in a level tone, quiet and commanding. Blaine swallowed.

"I overreacted," he answered just as quietly "I'm sorry."

"You ran away from home. Your mother was worried. So was I."  
><em><br>Yeah, about your reputation_, Blaine sneered in his mind, but simply apologised again. There was little else he could say.

"You will be coming back home this weekend."

It wasn't a question, but a statement. There was to be no arguing about this, obvious by the tone of his voice. Blaine nodded. He'd pick up his stuff from Kurt's tomorrow after school. They'd all ask, but he wouldn't tell them anything.

"Good. You're lucky I didn't immediately pull you out of Dalton. But if try something like that again, I will not hesitate. You've changed since moving back here. And I don't like it.  
>Dalton's softened you, encouraged you to start breaking the rules, and I will not stand for that again. Do you understand me?"<p>

He wasn't sure what it was about that last statement that made him speak up. Maybe it was the way in which his father spoke about Dalton 'softening' him. He knew what he meant – Dalton had made him gay. He'd broken the 'rules' by being gay. And Kurt had been the last straw. Maybe it was how the man spoke about Blaine changing since coming back. Had he liked the Blaine he'd had back then? Had he liked the Blaine that said nothing, shook whenever someone walked too close, and cried himself to sleep every night? Didn't he like the Blaine he had now, the one who was more open and carefree and less afraid?

Whatever it was, Blaine didn't know.

"No. I don't. I don't understand why you can't accept me. I don't understand why you hate me so much, why you want to send me back to that hellhole that I was lucky to escape from. I don't understand anything, Dad."

The tense silence that followed made Blaine shiver. He was so cold now it burned. What would the man do now that he'd voiced his opinion? Broken the rules? It took a long time, but finally Daniel managed a reply – one that had his son frozen to the spot.

"This is exactly why I sent you to St Dominic's in the first place. You are disrespectful, you are ignorant, and ill-behaved. You don't know what it means to be a proper human being," the words were almost spat in his face and Blaine flinched slightly "And every day that you spend at this school only encourages you to do more of the same. When you come back home on Saturday, I will be expecting you to be ready to make the flight to St Dominic's. Now don't say I don't do anything for you – I am giving you until the end of the week with your friends and your school. I will not be made out to be the villain in this."

Blaine stared in horror. He'd just sealed his own fate. St Dominic's loomed over him, a foreboding presence that terrified him. There seemed no way to escape this.  
>Daniel had raised his voice slightly in his last speech and obviously the Warblers inside the room had heard something, as the door suddenly opened and the tiny figure of Mason poked his head out.<p>

"Excuse me," he said politely, Daniel turning to face him "I'm sorry sir, but we need to speak with Blaine. This meeting is important. I hope you don't mind."

Blaine was stunned at the way Mason stared evenly into the taller man's eyes without the slightest flicker of fear. Didn't he know who he was? What he was capable of?  
><em><br>Of course not_, he told himself _You never told them anything._

"I was just finishing up," Daniel said curtly, glancing at Blaine one last time before walking away. The moment he was out of ear shot, Mason grabbed Blaine's arm and pulled him back into the room.

"What was that about?" David asked immediately "Your dad sounded pissed."

"Yeah, are you okay?" Trent added "You're shaking."

Blaine brushed Mason off, nodding, "I'm fine. Really."

"Really?" Nick said quietly, not a tinge of judgement coloring his quiet voice.

Blaine was silent for a moment.

Then, slowly and quietly, he whispered, "No."

* * *

><p>"Sending you where?" Wes was stunned at the news, working his jaw in order to get more sounds out but unable to speak.<p>

"Back. To my old school."

"But... wasn't it really bad?" Liam asked "I mean, you didn't tell us anything, but you were pretty awful when you transferred. No offense."

Blaine nodded. Liam was right. He'd been an absolute mess when he'd transferred, pushing everyone away because he knew if he let them get too close... he'd told himself he hadn't needed friends. They only brought trouble. And it was only when David and Wes had finally managed to break him down a little, get him to open up through song, that Blaine had realized that he'd been wrong. That St Dominic's had been a once-off, something that would never happen again.

And now it was. It was going to happen all over again, and he couldn't face it.

"He can't do this," David said "It's stupid!"

"And we need you!" Wes added "You're our soloist! Surely your mom sees that!"

Blaine shrugged, "I don't think she'd care right now. She's angry that we tied, and that I ended up with a boyfriend - from the enemy's team, no less."

Wes suddenly looked extremely guilty and started to apologize, but Blaine cut him off, "It's fine Wes. I know you didn't mean it. But she did. And she'll go along with my dad. She wants me to sing, but she doesn't want me to be gay."

With that out in the open, the Warblers were silent. No one knew quite what to say – or if there was anything they could say. How could they reassure their friend that everything was going to be okay when he was going back to the school that had made him such a mess? That had made him lose faith in people?

Blaine sighed and slumped back on the couch. He couldn't see a way out of this. He was well and truly trapped this time, and all because of his stupid big mouth. If only he'd shut up, nodded politely and gone on as normal, he wouldn't be in this mess. He wouldn't be transferring to St Dominic's. He wouldn't be leaving behind all the Warblers, and New Directions, and Kurt...

He bit his lip. How was he supposed to explain to Kurt that he might not be coming back?

* * *

><p>Knocking on the door of the Hummel-Hudson home, Blaine felt nervous all over again. He told himself he was just coming to pick up his stuff, but it didn't work. He knew he couldn't leave Kurt and not tell him what was going on. He just didn't want to have to actually say the words. He still hadn't even spoken the name of the school since he'd returned two years ago. It was too painful.<p>

"Blaine!"

He wasn't sure what his heart did at that moment. First it jumped as Kurt opened the door, a grin on his face at seeing his boyfriend standing there. Then it fell, hard, because he knew he'd have to tell Kurt he was leaving.

"Hey Kurt. Can I come in? I need to pick up my stuff."

Kurt nodded and moved out of the way so Blaine could enter. He followed his boyfriend down the hall and watched him from the doorway as Blaine grabbed his bag and guitar. That was when Blaine paused. He couldn't leave yet. There was still something to say.

"Kurt..."

Instantly his boyfriend was there, holding his hand and smiling. Blaine bit his lip. He couldn't do this to Kurt. He couldn't handle seeing his face fall as he realised Blaine wasn't coming back.

"Kurt, I need to tell you something."

The boy tilted his head slightly in curiosity, not knowing why Blaine was so upset.

"I... I have to go... away. For a while. I... I might not be back..."

It took a moment, but Kurt figured it out and when he did he looked scared. He threw his arms around Blaine, almost as if he could stop him from leaving if he could just hold on for long enough.

"Tu ne peux pas partir!"

Blaine breathed deeply, "I'm sorry Kurt, I don't want to leave. But I have to go."

"Où?" Kurt asked, the question obvious.

"Far away. I'm so sorry Kurt, I don't want to go, I want to stay here and be with you but there's nothing I can do about it.

"Reste ici, s'il te plaît."

Stay here, please.

Blaine wished he could. But his father wouldn't let him stay. His father would force him on that plane if it was the last thing he did.

"Kurt, are you in here?" a familiar voice resounded, and the door opened to reveal Finn and Puck in the doorway. Puck raised an eyebrow as he saw the two in the room, Kurt looking as if he was about to cry.

"Dude, what's going on?" Finn asked cautiously, glaring at Blaine.

With one arm around his boyfriend, Blaine gave the two boys a sad, sorrowful look, "I have to go. My dad's transferring me to another school."

"Where?"

"In Europe."

The silence that followed was deafening. Finn literally had his jaw hanging open for a moment and Puck simply stared in confusion. Blaine sighed, wishing he didn't have to do this for the millionth time.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go."

He tried to pull Kurt off him but the boy refused to let go. Finn and Puck quietly walked into the room and shut the door behind them, the latter with arms folded across his chest.

"Why?"

"Because. Okay? He doesn't want me here, so he's sending me as far away as possible."

"Why don't you leave?" Puck asked "You obviously don't want to go."

"You obviously don't know my father."

There was that silence again, though this time less awkward. Puck frowned, getting a strange look on his face, and Blaine almost swore he was plotting something. Finn worked on untangling Kurt which was a hard job in itself, as Kurt clung on like a barnacle and point-blank refused to let go. After a few minutes of fruitless attempts to either persuade or pull Kurt from Blaine, the latter finally gave up.

"Look, I'll stay for a little while, okay?" he said and Kurt looked up with wide, sad eyes.

"Tu promets?" Kurt asked.

"I promise. But I have to go back to my school soon."

Kurt nodded finally and slowly let go. By that time, Finn and Puck had left, claiming the living room for their Halo battle. Blaine smiled, keeping one arm around Kurt as a comforting reminder that he was staying for a little longer.

"Why don't we watch a movie or something?" he suggested.

Kurt managed a smile at that and nodded, asking quietly in French what he wanted to watch.

"You choose."

Taking Blaine's hand, Kurt led him to the living room where Finn and Puck were engrossed in their game. Neither looked up when the pair entered. Kurt let go of Blaine to go and find the DVD, searching for a few moments before turning to Finn in exasperation. With on hand on his hip and a glare on his face, Blaine had to stifle his laugh while Kurt demanded to know where his movie was.

"Finn, où est 'La Belle et la Bête'? Je n'arrive pas à le trouver!"

Blaine had no idea how Finn managed to continue playing his game, keeping his eyes firmly glued to the screen, whilst replying to Kurt. In French, no less. For having a reputation as being dumb, Finn was damn smart when it came to French.

"Il est encore dans le lecteur DVD. Tu l'as visionné quand tu es rentré à la maison, tu t'en souviens?"

Kurt smiled and moved to collect the DVD from the player as Finn had said. In doing so he blocked the TV for Puck, the teenager trying to see around him and keep playing.

"Hey Kurt! You just killed me!"

In all honesty, Blaine could not begin to understand how the whole New Directions' friendship-slash-incestuous family thing worked. He knew he'd never be able to figure out how Finn could speak French almost as well as Kurt, how Santana was the biggest bitch he'd ever met yet was the gentlest person around Kurt, and how Puck could be a jock and a bully yet treat Kurt like a brother. New Directions would never cease to amaze him.

Kurt turned around as Puck mock-growled at him, and simply poked his tongue out at him. Getting up with the DVD in hand, he walked back to Blaine with a smile and let the two boys get on with their game. The pair headed to Kurt's room where he set up the movie quickly.

As the opening scenes of the familiar movie began to play, Blaine smiled. He certainly didn't mind watching Disney movies with Kurt – few knew it, but he was one of the biggest Disney addicts on the face of the planet, being able to almost quote each movie word for word. And then there were the songs. The Warblers had officially banned Blaine from singing Disney songs after he'd had a three day marathon of movies and sang each song at the top of his lungs, no matter the time. After being beaten into silence with a pillow for singing "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" at two in the morning, Blaine was more than happy to keep quiet.

He sat up on the bed, one arm around Kurt as the boy snuggled into his side and rested his head on Blaine's chest. Blaine smiled – he could get used to this. He knew Kurt wasn't ready for a lot of the things relationships normally involved, but he was happy to stay where they were. If only he could.

* * *

><p>He knew it was getting late, and he should get back to Dalton before he got in trouble for breaking curfew, but Blaine couldn't find the willpower to actually get up. Nor could he find a decent reason to. He was watching Beauty and the Beast with Kurt. Dalton could wait.<p>

"Blaine?" Kurt yawned sleepily, shifting one arm to rest over his boyfriend's stomach.

"Hmm?" Blaine had to smile. Kurt was adorable when he was tired, to be honest.

"Pourquoi penses-tu que la Bête redevient humain?"

Blaine was stuck for a moment, flipping the words over in his head and trying to figure them out. Sure enough, a second later an iPod was pressed into his free hand – the one that wasn't protectively placed around Kurt's shoulders.

_Why do you think the Beast turns back into a human?_

Blaine frowned, "Because he broke the curse. He proved he could be kind and be loved for who he was, rather than what he looked like."

"Crois-tu... Crois-tu que je pourrais faire ça?"

_Do you think I could do that?_

The words resonated in Blaine's head after he translated them. He was frozen for a moment in confusion, not sure what to say. Carefully, he asked Kurt to clarify what he meant. Feeling his tension, Kurt sat up. He took the iPod from Blaine and typed something into the translator. When he handed it back and Blaine read what was on the screen, he spoke the words aloud in a troubled and questioning tone.

"La Bête est différente et personne ne l'aime à l'exception de ses amis. Tout le monde pense qu'il est étrange. Puis, il tombe en amour avec Belle et il redevient normal. Je suis différent et personne ne m'aime à l'exception de mes amis et de ma famille. Tout le monde pense que je suis étrange. Puis, je suis tombé en amour avec toi. Est-ce que ça veut dire que je pourrai être normal aussi?"

_The Beast is different and nobody loves him except his friends. Everyone else thinks he's strange. Then he falls in love with Belle and he becomes normal. I'm different and nobody loves me except for my friends – and my family. Everyone else thinks I'm strange. Then I fell in love with you. Does that mean I could be normal too?_

Blaine suddenly felt awful. He felt horrible and sick and angry and sad and a million other things all at the same time, none of which was helping him answer Kurt and face down that tilted-head questioning look that was purely 'Kurt'. He stuttered for a minute, wondering what he could say. As much as he loved hearing Kurt say he fell in love with him the bigger picture was that Kurt wanted to be normal. And unlike the Beast, this was something that could never happen, a 'curse' that he would have to live with for the rest of his life. Blaine wondered how many times Kurt had watched Beauty and the Beast and dreamed about falling in love and being normal. He didn't want to say anything because he knew whatever he said would hurt Kurt – he wasn't going to lie to him – but he knew he had to say something.

"Kurt..."

The other looked at him intently and Blaine felt his resolve slip a little. But he pushed on. Kurt had to understand.

"I know you want to be like everyone else... but... you'll always be like you are, Kurt. You'll always be..."

"Autistic."

It was that one word from Kurt, and the look of despair on the boy's face that had Blaine's heart shattering. He put both arms around his boyfriend and hugged him tightly. Kurt hugged him back and as he did, Blaine continued.

"Yeah. You're always going to be autistic, Kurt. But there's nothing wrong with that, okay? You're just different. Everyone has something about them that's different. And even though some people don't like that, it doesn't matter because they don't matter. We all still love you for who you are. I love you."

"Je t'aime."

It hurt Blaine to hear that – not because it wasn't true or not reciprocated. But because he knew that in less than a week, it would be the only thing keeping him sane and alive.

* * *

><p>Saturday.<p>

Blaine never knew he could hate a day so much. But he hated this Saturday more than anything else.

"I'm doing this for your own good, Blaine. As I said, I won't be made the villain in all this. I'm your father and I'm doing this as a parent to look after you," his father was saying, but Blaine was barely listening. It was all just excuses. It was Daniel's own justification for this. He couldn't do it without trying to justify it to his son - and himself.

"Yes sir."

"Good. I'm glad you understand. Now you should go, or you'll miss your flight."

Blaine nodded absently and wandered away from his father, not once looking back. His mother had decided it was less painful for everyone if she stayed at home, and Blaine knew it was just because she didn't want to face her failure of a son. As he disappeared from his father's sight into the crowd of the airport, Blaine wondered if he even cared. He'd never told his father what had happened, just that he refused to go back because it hurt too much. Surely that should have been enough to stop him from doing it all over again?

Suddenly he felt a strong hand on his shoulder and Blaine panicked. He spun, one hand already in a fist and raised in defence. Luckily he realised who it was before he smashed his fist into their face. He stared, stunned for a moment.

"Puck?"

The mohawked teenager shrugged, "That's me."

"What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," Puck replied, steering him through the busy airport with one hand while searching for something on his phone. He found what he was looking for and pressed a button, moving the phone to his ear.

"What's going on?" Blaine shifted his grip on his guitar case – his guitar was the one thing he'd argued with his father over taking – but Puck ignored him.

"Hey, is he gone yet?"

Blaine couldn't hear what the person on the other end said, but apparently it was good. Puck smirked and nodded in Blaine's direction.

"Good. We'll be out in a second. Wait for us out front."

Puck pulled Blaine towards the massive doors that marked the way to the outside. Once he was through and being pulled through the cold night air, Blaine immediately recognized the other's beaten-up old truck sitting outside, someone in the driver's seat waiting. Finn looked over and waved at him, looking nervous. Blaine dug his heels in against Puck, stopping them just a few feet from the car.

"What are you doing?" he demanded.

Puck turned to face him, arms folded across his chest, "I'm right in thinking you don't want to go to this fancy European school, right?"

Blaine nodded hesitantly, not sure where this was going.

"Then don't. We're here to take you back to Finn's place."

Silently, Blaine wondered when Puck had gotten so smart and compassionate – though he doubted this was a usual thing. Just something that came up when it needed to.

"There's something you're not telling us," Puck was continuing "It's kind of obvious you don't want to go. So we're just giving you the chance to back out. If you want to go, then walk right back in there and get on that plane. Or you can get in the car and come with us. Your choice."

There was only quiet for a moment before Blaine managed a smile and replied, "Well, when you put it like that..."

Puck smirked and Blaine quickly put his bags in the trunk before climbing into the back seat. Puck took the passenger side, and soon enough the three boys were on their way.

"It's gonna be a long drive back," Finn said "You should probably get some sleep or something."

Blaine nodded, leaning his head against the window. This was all going to come back to haunt him one day – probably very soon, as the school would be calling his parents when he didn't turn up – but for the moment all he could think about was the fact that he wasn't going back to St Dominic's. For the moment, he was free.

"Thanks," he mumbled.

There was no reply, but he saw Finn's smile in the rear view mirror and that was enough.

* * *

><p>Puck glanced over to the back seat, smirking as he saw Blaine firmly passed out against the window. He heard Finn sigh from beside him and looked over at him.<p>

"We are going to be in so much trouble over this," Finn said quietly, keeping his eyes on the road.

"It's not illegal."

"We kidnapped him."

"Seriously? He came of his own free will. If anything, he ran away. We just helped him," Puck replied, looking back to the road and watching it disappear beneath his car.

"Dude, you think his parents are going to believe that? We're dead," Finn said, glancing at Puck for a split second before returning his attention to the road.

"We're gonna be fine, Finn, stop worrying. I've done worse."

"I'm not going to juvie."

"We didn't do anything wrong! And anyway, if his dad's heartless enough to send him back to that place, then he probably won't care."

"You hope not."

Puck shrugged. It was too late now. And besides, they'd done it for a good reason. They'd done it for Blaine, and for his prep-friends at Dalton, and for his friends in New Directions – but really, they'd done it for Kurt.

* * *

><p><strong>Please review, and I hope you enjoyed that. Here's the French that may not have made total sense in the fic because I didn't actually put the translation in. Hopefully you got the general idea though :)<strong>

**Tu ne peux pas partir – **You can't leave  
><strong>Reste ici, s'il te plait – <strong>Stay here please  
><strong>Finn, où est 'La Belle et la Bête'? Je n'arrive pas à le trouver – <strong>Finn, where's Beauty and the Beast? I can't find it!  
><strong>Il est encore dans le lecteur DVD. Tu l'as visionné quand tu es rentré à la maison, tu t'en souviens? - <strong>It's still in the DVD player. You were watching it when you came home, remember?

**NEXT: It's a little bit of angst and a whole lot of fluff as Blaine stands up for himself...**


	7. Love In War

**Okay, so there's a bit of a long story behind this one. I posted all this on my main page, but if you haven't read that then read on.**

**So, I had this finished and ready to send off to my beta. Then, somehow, I managed to lose my thumbdrive, which had the only copy of the chapter on it. I didn't save it on my laptop because it's the third one I've had this year and I'm not convinced it won't screw up on me... see the irony in this? I hate irony :(**

**Anyway, then I felt bad because I couldn't find the thumbdrive and suddenly there was this massive flood of reviews all at once (what was that, anyway? Super awesome!) and everyone wanted me to update. So I rewrote. The rewrite I think is a little better than the original - more emotional. So then I sent it out to my beta, _snape-rules44_. But that was quite a few days ago and now I'm wondering if she got it or if she's just busy/can't get to a computer/something or other. And I didn't want to keep you guys waiting too much longer! So here's the chapter, unbeta-ed. I'll update once _snape-rules44_ gets back to me, so there may be mistakes in here that I haven't caught. Just to warn you :)**

**Also! Someone told me they heard about my fic on tumblr :) I don't really know what tumblr is, but that certainly didn't stop me from signing up! Same name over there as I am here, so...yeah :P I don't really do anything over there at the moment, but I'd love to see all you guys :)**

**Speaking of that, I'd love to get to know you reviewers. So if you want, you can message me and I'll send you a link to my Facebook so we can be friends :) Special shout-out to _Lgleek95_, just randomly!**

**Okay, so with that monster of an A/N over with, I'd just like to say thank you so much for the absolutely phenomenal response and awesome reviews from all you people/gleeks/fellow Klaine shippers/aliens from Pluto! And enjoy this long-awaited chapter!**

**Oh, and the Blaine angst should end here for quite a while :P**

**And thanks to _Verdandil _for the French help!**

* * *

><p><span>Love In War<span>

**So Blaine's been 'rescued' by his knights in shining armour, but now what? It's time for Blaine to stand up for himself. Featuring upset Kurt, snuggly Klaine, Tangled, fluff, brotherly Finn, flashbacks and a phone call and a text message that will change everything.**

It was early in the morning by the time Finn pulled up across the road from his house – three in the morning, in fact. Finn glanced over at his house, where he knew his mother and stepfather would be. He wondered if they would have noticed him leaving. If they hadn't, they'd still be asleep. If they had… well, he was in trouble. He'd be in trouble at any rate once they found Blaine in the morning, but Finn preferred to get a few hours of sleep before getting yelled at.

"You going or not?" Puck's voice startled Blaine out of his thoughts. He nodded, sliding out of the driver's seat and leaving the engine running for his friend. He walked around the back and tapped on the glass of Blaine's window. The boy had slept throughout the entire trip; Finn figured he'd needed it. Blaine woke with a start as the glass trembled from Finn's hand and he jumped back in surprise. When he realised where he was and who he was with, he relaxed a little and quickly got out of the truck. Finn passed him his things he'd just collected from the back, Blaine taking them gratefully. They both looked back as Puck jumped behind the wheel.

"Good luck," he said before driving off and leaving the pair alone.

"Come on," Finn said, heading towards the house. Blaine followed him, Finn hearing his soft footsteps on the road's surface. When they reached the front door, Finn fished out the key and as quietly as he could, unlocked it. Slowly the teenager pushed open the door, looking around in the darkness for any signs of life. It was silent, not a sound or light to indicate anyone waiting up. Finn breathed a sigh of relief and stepped inside, letting Blaine inside before securely locking the door behind them.

Just as he turned around again, the light flicked on and blinded the pair. When they opened the eyes, Finn's heart sank to see his stepfather and mother standing in the doorway, the latter with hands on her hips and Burt with arms folded.

"What on earth is going on?" Burt asked, looking between the two boys.

"It's kind of a long story," Finn mumbled.

Burt just looked at him pointedly, then gestured for the two boys to follow him and Carole into the kitchen. They did so, Blaine leaving his bag and guitar case at the door and following Finn with head down.

"Sit down," Carole said, pointing to the table.

Finn and Blaine took one side with the older parents on the other. There was tense silence for only a moment before Carole spoke.

"You've been gone for over four hours. We've been worried sick. Where were you?" she asked Finn.

The taller teenager stared at the table, hating the interrogation he'd hoped to avoid until tomorrow morning – or was that later this morning?

"Me and Puck went to pick up Blaine from the airport," he said.

"The airport? Why?"

"'Cause his dad was sending him to some school where he didn't want to go," Finn replied "So we brought him back."

Burt turned to Blaine, who was playing with his hands and avoiding everyone's gaze, "Is that true, Blaine?"

"Yes sir. My father was sending me back to a boarding school in Europe, and I…it was a bad experience," he said quietly "Puck and Finn got it into their heads to stop me from going."

"I take it you didn't want to go?" Carole's tone was a little softer than her husband's.

Blaine shook his head, lifting his head slightly to look her in the eye, "No. I didn't."

The parents exchanged a questioning glance, before Burt sighed and rubbed his eyes in exhaustion.

"We'll talk about this more later," he said "But for the fact that you snuck out of the house, Finn, you're grounded."

"Two weeks," Carole added.

Finn nodded, secretly glad with his sentence. It could have been much worse. Burt and Carole stood up, the two boys following their lead.

"Get to bed," Burt said, not unkindly "It's late and you look exhausted."

The teenagers nodded in relief. They headed for their respective rooms, Blaine collecting his things quickly. He met Finn outside the teenager's room and he stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks again."

Finn smiled, feeling rather proud of himself. He'd done something good, for someone else and for his stepbrother. He'd not only made Blaine happy, but Kurt. Finn couldn't wait to see Kurt's face tomorrow when he realised Blaine was still here.

"No problem."

* * *

><p><em>so he didnt kill u?<em>

_nah just grounded but I dont think hes 2 happy with u_

_lucky im not aloud over then hey? :P got 2 go something important 2 do will txt u later_

"Are you texting at the table, Finn?"

Finn looked up, hiding his phone from his mother. For all he knew she'd take that off him, and that would kind of suck. He gave her a smile, hoping she would let it go. She shook her head with a smile in return.

"I'll pretend I didn't see that."

Finn grinned and went back to his breakfast. He'd woken up at quite a reasonable time for a Sunday actually – around eleven. Blaine was still asleep it seemed, and Kurt didn't realise he was here as he was moping around the house and refusing to interact with anyone. If Finn didn't know Blaine hadn't disappeared, he would be worried about his stepbrother.

He finished his food and stood up, walking to the living room where Kurt was curled up in a ball on the couch looking rather sorry for himself. Finn sat down beside him, Kurt making no acknowledging movements.

"You okay Kurt?"

The boy refused to answer, simply curling further into his ball and whimpering. He started mumbling to himself and Finn suddenly realised just what he'd actually done. If he hadn't brought Blaine back, this was what Kurt would be like on a daily basis. It was obviously Blaine's departure that had brought this on – yesterday he'd been happy, talking to Blaine on the phone. And now that he knew Blaine was gone, he was upset and moping. Heartbroken, Finn thought. Blaine was the one person who had been able to bring Kurt out of his shell more than anyone, had made him happy to be alive. And now Kurt thought he was gone. Finn smiled. He'd done the right thing, grounding or not.

* * *

><p>Blaine blinked his eyes open, finding himself staring at a semi-familiar ceiling. He tilted his head, studying it as he tried to work out where he'd seen it before. As the memories of last night rushed back to him, he sat up suddenly. He was at Kurt's house. Finn and Puck had brought him here from the airport. He wasn't at St Dominic's.<p>

_I'm not at St Dominic's._

Blaine smiled to himself. For the moment, he was free. For the moment, he was safe and free and away from those who would force him back to that hellhole to which he'd sworn he'd never return.

His thoughts turned to his friends as he realised he was no longer a Dalton student. He couldn't go back to Dalton anymore. He wasn't a student, he wasn't a Warbler… what was he? He'd lost almost everything and now he didn't know where or how to pick up the pieces.

But then he remembered one thing. He hadn't lost everything. He still had Kurt. He had Kurt and the New Directions friends he'd made. They were still there for him. And Kurt most of all. The one thing he'd lost everything for.

He glanced at the door before his gaze was dragged to his phone on the bedside table where he'd left it last night. He had something to do first. Someone to talk to. He picked up the phone and found the number. Dialling it, he hoped they'd pick up.

"_Blaine?" _the voice on the other end was tentative, hopeful – as if wondering if it was really true. Wishing it was.

"Hi David."  
><em><br>"Blaine! Are you alright? How's that school?" _David sounded a mixture of excited and worried all at once, and Blaine had to laugh.  
><em><br>"What's so funny?"_ he demanded before Blaine heard the phone being pulled from David. Someone else spoke up and Blaine grinned. Wherever there was David, Wes wasn't far behind.  
><em><br>"Blaine? Is that you?" _ he demanded as David had _"What's going on?"  
><em>  
>"I just wanted to call you guys. I…something happened…I didn't go."<br>_  
>"YOU WHAT?"<em> Wes screeched. Blaine heard him relay the message to David, who snatched back the phone.  
><em><br>"What do you mean, you didn't go?"  
><em>  
>"I was about to get on the plane when Puck and Finn – some of the guys from New Directions – turned up and 'rescued' me. I'm at Kurt's house now," Blaine answered.<br>_  
>"You're kidding!" <em>David laughed, the relief obvious in his voice _"I'm surprised we didn't think of that! I'm glad you're still here, but it sucks you can't come back to Dalton, doesn't it?"  
><em>  
>Blaine sighed, "Yeah. I'm not sure what I'm going to do now, but I guess I'll figure something out. Look, you can tell the Warblers that I didn't go, but can you not tell them where I am? I don't want my dad finding out."<br>_  
>"Sure. Hey, say hi to Kurt for me, will you? And we have to meet up soon, okay?"<br>_  
>"Of course," Blaine smiled.<p>

After goodbyes to both Wes and David, Blaine hung up and put the phone back down. Now there was someone else he needed to talk to. Quickly he got up and poked his head out the door. There was no one in sight, but he could hear Carole cleaning up in the kitchen. He headed down the hall, looking around for Kurt. When he passed the living room, he spotted his boyfriend and Finn there. Backtracking, Blaine paused in the doorway. Seeing Kurt lying there so upset, curled up and mumbling to himself quietly in French, was heartbreaking. He dreaded to think how long this would have gone on if he had gone to St Dominic's. Blaine wondered if Kurt would have eventually forgotten him. He doubted it highly.

Finn looked up and smiled at him. Gently, knowing how much he hated physical contact, he shook Kurt's shoulder.

"Kurt, someone wants to see you."

Kurt shook him off and began shaking – it took Blaine a moment to realise he was crying, those small shudders of his body testament to the effort he was giving to heaving in breath. Blaine's heart dropped to the pit of his stomach and he rushed in, kneeling in front of Kurt. If there was one thing he hated as much as St Dominic's, it was seeing Kurt cry.

"Kurt?" he whispered "It's me."

The boy went stiff and tense at the sound of Blaine's voice, as if he didn't quite believe it. He lifted his head slightly, his puffy eyes just visible above his arm. They widened in shock and Blaine smiled. The former Warbler opened his mouth to say something when the breath was knocked out of him by Kurt leaping at him from the couch. They fell back on the floor, Kurt hugging Blaine close to him and refusing to let go. Finn wisely saw the moment to escape before anything got too awkward.

"Je croyais que tu étais parti," Kurt mumbled into Blaine's chest, tears still collecting in his eyes. Blaine rested his head on Kurt's, breathing in the scent of Kurt he'd thought he'd never get the chance to smell again. Listening to the voice he'd thought he'd never hear again. He recognised most of the words, and the rest simply fell into place as the obvious translation.

_I thought you left._

"I'm sorry Kurt. I didn't want to leave. But Finn and Puck came and got me and stopped me from going. I'm going to stay for as long as I can; I don't want to leave you again."

Kurt nodded, sniffing a little and coughing as he tried to breath properly again. Blaine peeled the other boy off him gently, wiping away the tears and smiling.

"I promise, I'll do everything to make sure I don't have to leave again."

Kurt hugged him again, running his hands all over Blaine as if to make sure that he was there, all of him and solid. That it wasn't some dream and it was _real_. Blaine had to grab Kurt's hands to stop him – they were making him think of things he really shouldn't; especially not with Kurt.

"Why don't we just hang out?" Blaine asked with a small smile. Kurt nodded with a similar smile reflected on his own face.

"What do you want to do?"

"Peu importe, pour autant que tu restes ici," Kurt replied softly.

For some reason Blaine couldn't comprehend, his French was actually getting better. Just spending the time with Kurt was improving his grades (at least they'd been improving while he was still at Dalton) and he could understand most of what Kurt said. The iPod was slowly becoming obsolete.

_Anything, as long as you stay here._

A small smile crossed Blaine's face. From now on, he'd be fighting as hard as he could if it meant he could stay here, with Kurt, in this not-so-perfect world they'd made for themselves amongst the bullies and the stares and the judgement.

* * *

><p>Most people would consider spending the day watching movies to be a waste of time. To Blaine, those people obviously didn't have a boyfriend like Kurt, nor did they have his immense love of Disney. It was inconceivable that someone could dislike a Disney marathon, and Blaine was immeasurably grateful that Kurt had the same great taste in movies (so what if he was slightly biased?). He knew he was lucky to have someone like Kurt – to even know Kurt was a privilege Blaine was honoured to hold, and he was even more so to be a part of Kurt's life.<p>

Blaine would never admit it, but he'd seen Tangled a record twelve times, three viewings of which had been one after the other on a sleepless night. And every time it seemed to get better. When Kurt suggested the movie, he eagerly agreed. After all, what was more fun than relaxing and watching Tangled with Kurt?

The pair were stretched out on Kurt's bed, Blaine rubbing his hand unconsciously along Kurt's back as he lay against his boyfriend's chest, listening to both the movie and Blaine's heartbeat. They'd made it through much of the movie, and now were coming up on that one scene that never ceased to make Blaine grin like an idiot. He was already beginning to smile as the music began to play to what was fast becoming his favourite Disney song. He was surprised when Kurt began to sing quietly, softly, almost under his breath.

_All those days watching from the windows  
>All those years outside looking in<br>All that time never even knowing  
>Just how blind I've been<br>__  
>Now I'm here blinking in the starlight<br>Now I'm here suddenly I see  
>Standing here it's all so clear<br>I'm where I'm meant to be_

Kurt looked up at Blaine and smiled. He sat up and continued to sing, this time a little louder.

_And at last I see the light  
>And it's like the fog has lifted<em>

_And at last I see the light_  
><em>And it's like the sky is new<em>

_And it's warm and real and bright_  
><em>And the world has somehow shifted<em>

_All at once everything looks different_  
><em>Now that I see you<em>

Blaine knew his part was coming up – how could he not sing this with Kurt? He took Kurt's hand as the music rose and he began to sing.

_All those days chasing down a daydream  
>All those years living in the blur<br>All that time never truly seeing  
>Things, the way they were<em>

_Now he's here shining in the starlight_  
><em>Now he's here suddenly I know<em>  
><em>If he's here it's crystal clear<em>  
><em>I'm where I'm meant to be<em>

Kurt didn't miss the changed lyrics, and they both smiled shyly as they both sang together, keeping their voices quiet and in harmony.

_And at last I see the light  
>And it's like the fog has lifted<em>

_And at last I see the light  
>And it's like the sky is new<em>

_And it's warm and real and bright  
>And the world has somehow shifted<em>

_All at once everything looks different_  
><em>Now that I see you<em>

_Now that I see you_

They trailed off, Blaine feeling the heat rising in his cheeks. He'd just sung with Kurt – something he'd never done before, yet wished he could for so long. And it wasn't just any song. It was a song that meant so much to him; to both of them. It fit his situation so perfectly. In fact, the message of the movie fit perfectly. He thought he'd lost everything, that he had nothing left to go on and no future. Dalton had been his chance of a career in basically anything. He could have gone anywhere, done anything. He'd lost that, and he'd been floundering for a little while, wondering what he was going to do next. But now he knew. He knew it didn't matter what he did or where he went – as long as Kurt was there.

He knew it was cheesy and just a little silly, but he couldn't stop himself.

"You're my new dream."

It was worth it. The grin that spread across Kurt's face was more than worth it. The other boy blushed a bright red and ducked his head, mumbling something in French. It took Blaine a moment to process it, and when he did it was his turn to have that ridiculously large grin on his face.

"Tu es mon rêve."

_You are my dream._

* * *

><p>Mid-way through The Little Mermaid, Blaine's phone began to ring. Carefully he extracted it from his pocket without waking Kurt, who had fallen asleep after the first few minutes. From the way he'd been struggling to keep his eyes open through Sleeping Beauty (oh the irony, Blaine had laughed to himself) he was exhausted. Blaine glanced at the caller ID and suddenly his blood ran cold. He froze, staring at the small screen in almost disbelief. Though he'd known the time would come, he'd hoped it would be later. Much later. Hands shaking, he decided to pick up the call.<br>_  
>"Blaine Anderson, where the hell are you?"<em>his father's booming voice resounded instantly and Blaine flinched. But he swallowed and steeled himself. He could do this, right?

"I didn't go."  
><em><br>"Well that was obvious! I got a call from St Dominic's saying that you didn't turn up! Where are you?"  
><em>  
>"It has nothing to do with you," Blaine said, anger rising in his stomach "I told you I wouldn't go. I told you I <em>couldn't<em> go back. And you didn't even listen to me."  
><em><br>"It's nothing to do with me? I'm your father! You're acting like a spoilt child, Blaine. You can't always get what you want, and I've let you have too much, it seems."  
><em>  
>"You wouldn't listen to me! You don't know what it was like!" Blaine raised his voice slightly unconsciously, desperate for <em>someone<em> to understand "You don't…you don't know what happened."  
><em><br>"I went to St Dominic's for my entire schooling. You're overreacting, Blaine, and I won't stand for this disobedience. Tell me where you are."  
><em>  
>Blaine closed his eyes, biting his lip to stop himself from screaming or shouting something he knew he'd regret. He felt a gentle hand on his face and he jumped, opening his eyes to see Kurt looking at him with worry clouding pale blue. The other boy opened his mouth, seeming to struggle to say something. Finally he managed to whisper a word.<p>

"Courage."

Blaine was suddenly lost in memories.

_Kurt grabbed at his jacket, hiding his face. Blaine looked up the street and saw a group of teenagers walking towards them. They were laughing and joking, well-built football players if he'd ever seen them. Mercedes, beside him, explained Kurt's behaviour quietly._

_"It's Karofsky and his jock friends. They're the ones that keep hurting him. I just wish I could hit him back, show him how much he's hurting my boy."_

_Blaine looked down at Kurt, lifting the other's head to face him._

_"Are you scared?"_

_Kurt nodded, closing his eyes again as he heard the sound of the jocks approaching._

_"You know what you've got to have?"_

_Kurt looked up worriedly and shook his head, shooting glances at Karofsky as he and his friends made their way closer and closer._

_"Courage. You have to be brave Kurt, can you do that?"_

_Kurt chewed on his lip, seeming to ponder it for a moment. Then he gripped Blaine's hand tightly, staring at him questioningly with such fear that Blaine wished he wasn't so short and could actually stand up to this Karofsky._

_"I'll be here, I promise. Both of us, me and_ _Mercedes."_

_Kurt hesitated for a moment before nodding._

"_Don't be such a baby, Blaine. It's kind of pathetic."_

_God, how much he hates that voice, that lilt that has the girls weak at the knees, hiding the unfeeling reality that he is. He hisses through his teeth as pain flickers across his stomach, into his chest. Down his arms, across his back. He hopes he'll lose feeling soon._

_"Please…just stop."_

_He laughs, "Why? You're fun."_

_"I'll tell."_

_"Who would believe you anyway?" he asks "Who would believe the new transfer over __me?"_

_"Please."_

_"Suck it up and stop whining. It doesn't hurt that much."_

_Since when has __he been beaten to within an inch of his life? Since _when_?_

"Blaine?" Kurt's voice.  
><em><br>"Blaine?" _His father's voice._  
><em>  
>Blinking, Blaine stared at Kurt for a second longer before replying to his father. He had something say, and he was damn well going to say it.<p>

"I want you to leave me alone. I'm not coming back, and I'm not going to that place again. I won't, and this time you can't make me. So just leave me alone, and I'll never interfere with your _life _again. You can forget I ever existed. Disown me. I don't care. Just stay the hell away from me and out of my life."

On the other end, his father sputtered with rage, _"Blaine Anderson! This is the last straw! You're more trouble than…"  
><em>  
>Blaine jumped on that last line when his father trailed off, "What? I'm more trouble than I'm worth? Then fine. You don't want anything to do with me, and I don't want anything to do with you."<br>_  
>"I <em>will_ make sure you can have _nothing_ of your inheritance, and all that you would get as an Anderson,"_t he man was struggling now, fighting to tip the balance back in his favour. But Blaine fought back, determined to take whatever ground he was given and not give up.

"I don't want any of it. This is the last you'll hear from me. It'd better be the last I hear from you."

And finally, Blaine hung up. He stared at the phone in his hand for a moment, shocked by what he'd just done. He'd stood up to his _father_. The man who, along with the one whose name was too painful to remember, had made his life hell. Had terrified him for as long as he could remember.

"Blaine?"

Kurt was staring at him, worried. Blaine looked up and him and smiled in astonishment at his own actions. And then he threw a hug around Kurt, laughing to himself. He was free. Finally, after all that fighting, he was _free_. It didn't matter that he'd lost his inheritance, lost his family. He'd won something much more important.

The feeling of dread returned suddenly as the phone began to vibrate again in his hand. Blaine pulled away from Kurt and looked at the screen. He sighed in relief as he realised it was just a text from Puck. He opened the message and read it, frowning in confusion.

_hey guess what_

_what? _Blaine replied, wondering what Puck was playing at this time.

_u doing anything on monday?_

_no why? what are you talking about?_

_good. u do now. As of 2moro u have officially been forged in2 mckinley_

Blaine stared at the phone, willing himself to believe it. Puck was probably messing around with him, but…he wouldn't be surprised if he had…after all, it _was_ Puck. Nothing surprised Blaine about that kid.

_your kidding?_

_Nope ur a student at mckinley now :P cya 2moro!_

Blaine looked up at Kurt again, who was staring at him curiously with head tilted slightly in confusion. The former Warbler grinned.

"Looks like I'm going to McKinley."

* * *

><p><strong>Hopefully that flashback sequence wasn't too confusing :) <strong>

**NEXT: Blaine's first day at McKinley doesn't quite go to plan...**


	8. In Diversity

**Why hello there :)**

**CAN I JUST SAY I LOVE ALL YOU PEOPLE SO MUCH ITS CRAZY XDDD Seriously, you're all just _amazing. _Shout-outs to Lgleek95 (I just want to hug you so much :D), Ittlebitz (Can I just hug you and we can be emotional wrecks together?), Verdandil (Where would I be without you? With crappy French and without an awesome friend, that's where!) and Tanya Uchiha (I love all your suggestions and some of them will probably turn up at some point :D). Of course, all you reviewers and readers in general are awesome people and I JUST WANT TO HUG YOU ALL DAMMIT!**

**One point I'd just like to make: a lot of you have asked when/if Kurt and Blaine are going to kiss. Well, you probably guessed it at any rate, but yes, they will kiss. Just not yet :) Hang in there, it's coming. This is a story about the progression of a relationship and so yes, a kiss will definately be in here eventually.**

**The Facebook offer still stands, by the way :) **

**And I'm on tumblr! (I feel _so_ smart ;P) I'm the same name over there as here. I randomly post spoilers for WA chapters and other stuff over there (or so I've now decided) so if you want to know, check it out :)**

**But first... the chapter...**

**Quick random note: the chapter title comes from a quote by Maya Angelou -_"It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength."_ I love this quote so much.**

* * *

><p><span>In Diversity<span>

**He thought he was ready. Nothing could ever prepare Blaine for what's going to happen on his first day at William McKinley High School. Featuring Sue Sylvester, thoughtful Blaine, confused Brittany, scary-as-hell Finn, a punch-up of sorts, and a massive two steps back but a small step forward.**

"Come on you two," Finn called from the front door, tugging his jacket on "Puck's going to be here in a minute, we'll be late if you don't hurry up!"

Kurt rolled his eyes and Blaine smiled a little. It was a small moment between them for half a second, a moment of happiness. And then Kurt was glaring at his boyfriend again, eyes narrowed. Blaine held up his hands in surrender.

"What's wrong with this?" he asked, gesturing to himself. For some reason, Kurt had taken offense to the black shirt and baggy black jeans that Blaine was pretty sure were actually David's and had accidentally been stolen. He didn't really think there was anything too wrong with it – after all, it was _McKinley_.

But Kurt simply glared at him with arms folded tightly against his chest and shook his head. Then he turned around and started searching through his drawers for something. Finn called out again, this time punctuated by the sound of a horn from outside – Puck. Finally Kurt turned back and held something out to Blaine. He smiled.

"Really?"

A nod from Kurt made it clear – Blaine wasn't leaving the house looking like he did. So to avoid argument and not keep Puck and Finn waiting, Blaine took what Kurt was giving to him and ducked into the next door bathroom to change.

Five minutes later, and Kurt was dragging Blaine out the door by the hand, following Finn down the path towards the awaiting truck. The taller of them barely raised an eyebrow at Blaine's change of clothes, but Puck sniggered a little as the three climbed into his car.

"Man, you are _so_whipped."

Blaine simply rolled his eyes, tugging on the red skinny jeans Kurt had given him.

* * *

><p>Mercedes glanced at the doors to the school, watching for everyone who walked through them. There were only a few minutes until classes started and Finn and Kurt still hadn't arrived. More to the point, <em>Kurt<em> hadn't arrived. Would he turn up? Everyone in the Glee club knew that Blaine had left on Saturday. There had been no contact at all on Sunday. How was Kurt taking Blaine's departure? Mercedes had so many questions whirling around in her head and none had any answers. She would just have to wait and see.

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she almost missed the four people walking through the doors and into the halls. When she finally noticed them, only one face really mattered. She ran towards her boy, a smile on her face.

"Kurt! You're here…"

She trailed off when she very suddenly realised there was someone standing next to Kurt – and holding his hand. Finn was on the other side of Kurt, and it certainly wasn't Puck. It took a moment of staring before it finally soaked into her brain.

"_Blaine!_"

The boy laughed as she engulfed him in a surprised hug. When she pulled away she put her hands on her hips. This just didn't make sense. Of course, she was _ecstatic_that Blaine hadn't left. But why was he still here? And why was he at McKinley, dressed like he was a student?

"What is going on?"

"Long story," Finn started, but Puck spoke up "We picked him up from the airport."

"They kidnapped you?" Mercedes asked with a sympathetic smile to Blaine who shrugged and joked, "I came willingly. Anywhere's better than there."

Mercedes laughed, "I can't believe it. How on earth did you manage to come here? I don't think your parents would've been happy!"

Something flitted across Blaine's face at that moment but it was gone too fast for Mercedes to properly comprehend. Then he smiled and replied, "Puck did something, and I think I'd rather not know what."

Puck smirked and winked slyly just as the bell for classes rang out. Teenagers in the corridors started to move off to their classes, pushing past the five Glee clubbers on their way to the first boring period of the day. Puck vanished (who knew where? Certainly not class) while Mercedes took Kurt's free hand and reminded him they had their first subject together. Kurt quickly turned and gave Blaine a hug, smiling before following Mercedes down the rapidly-emptying hall.

"What do you have?" Finn asked, looking down at the significantly shorter boy he was quickly becoming firmer friends with. They'd always been friends to a degree, but since Blaine had become boyfriends with his stepbrother and all but moved in permanently, Finn had a new respect for the kid. He was a lot stronger than he looked. Emotionally anyway – there was no way he'd survive an entire football game.

"Spanish, I think," Blaine replied hesitantly.

"Cool. Me too."

The pair headed towards their class, weaving around the few people still left in the halls. Just before they reached the door to the classroom, a looming presence in their path stopped the pair in their tracks. Blaine looked up and stared at the blonde woman in a tracksuit standing in front of him.

"And I thought this school could not become more greasy than it already is, due mostly to the amount of product in the hair of one Will Schuester. Hobbit, you have just proved me wrong," the woman said, glaring down at Blaine thoughtfully. Blaine frowned and shrunk back a little – there was just something about this woman that was… off. Very off. And scary.

"His name's Blaine," Finn said helpfully.

"Huh," the woman said, completely ignoring Finn altogether "I'm going to leave now, as I cannot stand how disgusting I now feel simply being in your presence."

And with that, the woman left, turning on her heel and stalking down the corridor. Blaine was left staring at the place where she'd been just a moment ago in shock.

"Who was that?" he asked slowly.

"That's Coach Sylvester, the Cheerios coach," Finn replied "She's always like that."

"Do you ever get used to her?"

Finn paused, thinking that over for a moment. Then he answered slowly, "Not really."

The pair walked into the room, Mr Schue at the front about to say something to the students already there. He paused and smiled when he saw Finn enter, and a confused expression crossed his face when he finally managed to see Blaine around the giant footballer.

"I remember you," he said with a warm smile "Blaine, right?"

Blaine nodded, "That'd be me."

"I thought you went to Dalton."

"I transferred."

If Mr Schue had something else to say on the subject, he wasn't voicing it aloud. He let Blaine follow Finn and sit down beside each other at the back of the room. A moment later he began the lesson.

* * *

><p>"Come on!" Tina said with a grin, grabbing Blaine's hand and dragging him down the crowded hallway "They'll all be so excited!"<p>

Blaine laughed, letting Tina pull him down the corridor. Their last period had just been together and when the girl had seen him she'd had to hold back a squeal as she jump-hugged him. There was a word for that, wasn't there? Sooner than he'd thought they were in the cafeteria and Blaine was overwhelmed by the amount of people and the noise and _everything_. Dalton had never been even remotely like this, not even when Mason had managed to blow half the science labs sky high and made the school _stink_ for weeks. He'd thought that had been chaos. McKinley was something new altogether. It was like a sort of organised chaos, he figured, as Tina pulled through the numerous students chatting and eating. After all, everything seemed to have some sort of order to it, though he knew it would take him a while to understand it all, if New Directions was anything to go by…

"_Blaine?_"

He and Tina stopped beside the table that seemed to hold the entirety of New Directions. Artie and Mike were staring at him in shock, Sam only just noticing. Brittany seemed confused (nothing out of the ordinary) while Santana was openly gaping at him. Quinn just didn't seem bothered and Rachel had actually stopped talking for more than half a second in surprise.

"Blaine? What are you even doing here?" Artie asked as Tina and the subject of everyone's shock sat down – Blaine being pulled into an empty seat between Kurt and Mercedes.

"We totally saved him," Puck boasted with a smirk.

"I'll explain later," Blaine promised before he was promptly assaulted with questions.

"Where are you staying?"

"Are you joining Glee club?"

"You actually left that prep school?"

"Are you seriously here to stay?"

"I think my cat's stalking you – have you seen him?"

Blaine laughed, "Kurt and Finn's, yes, yes, yes and no Brittany, I haven't."

The blonde was disappointed but brightened up, "It must be Kurt then. Lord Tubbington likes Kurt."

"Everyone likes Kurt," Santana chuckled.

They all knew that wasn't true in the slightest. But it could be true, if people weren't so ignorant and didn't immediately dislike him on sight or once they realised he was autistic. Under the table, Blaine and Kurt linked hands and the latter giggled softly. Blaine smiled at the sound. He would just never get used to Kurt. There were so many things about him that he didn't know about yet, and Blaine hoped he'd be able to stick around in Kurt's life long enough to be able to find them out. Every day of the rest of his life.

He'd never thought about commitment. Sure, he'd thought about having a boyfriend. He'd checked out other guys and wondered what it would be like to date someone. He'd dreamed about growing up and falling in love with _that_ person. The One. He was a self-confessed hopeless romantic at heart and he'd always believed that there was _someone_ out there. Maybe not in high school, or college, but one day he'd find that person and they'd fall in love and all that cheesy romantic stuff. But now Blaine was sure. Of all the guys he'd ever even considered dating at one point or another, he couldn't imagine spending the rest of his life with them. Kurt was different. Blaine was more than happy to spend the rest of his life and longer with Kurt. He knew he was only a teenager and there were so many other people in the world that he might meet and could fall in love with and high school romances hardly ever lasted. But he couldn't imagine what he had with Kurt ever falling apart. What he could imagine though, was marrying Kurt. And for Blaine, a teenager with his whole life ahead of him, it could be seen as hopeless devotion that one day was going to be crushed. And he'd cry about it for months on end and take forever to get back out into the world again. But him and Kurt? Nothing in the world could bring that down. Nothing in existence could shake or break what they had. _Nothing_ could or would stop them from doing anything.

Blaine wanted to be there for Kurt for everything. And as strange as that would sound to any of the other teenagers in the room, or the school, or the world, it made perfect sense to Blaine.

One day, he was going to marry Kurt.

"Glee club's tomorrow afternoon," Mercedes said to him, breaking Blaine out of his thoughts "You're coming?"

"I said I was, didn't I?" Blaine smiled "I'll be there."

"Good," Santana said from the other side of the table "Maybe we'll get some decent competition for male leads. Our voices go _so_well together, by the way…"

"More competition?" Artie sounded surprised, as if he'd only just figured it out "But I don't get any solos as it is! Hardly, anyway!"

"I'm not going to steal any solos from anyone," Blaine said, knowing how much solos meant to the New Directions members. He knew how hard they all fought to get the songs that would almost always go to Rachel and Finn. He wasn't going to step in anyone's way. Besides, he'd had plenty of solos in the Warblers. It would just be cruel to walk into New Directions and take theirs. Somewhat ironic, but cruel.

The bell rang to signal the end of the break and everyone stood to go – apart from the obvious exception of Artie, whose wheelchair was grabbed by Sam as the two had their next class together.

"Where are you headed?" Mercedes asked Blaine curiously.

"History, from memory."

"I have that!" Brittany waved her hand in the air before accosting Blaine and stealing him away. Kurt managed to wave good bye before his boyfriend was swept away by an eager Brittany.

* * *

><p>For a girl who'd been at McKinley her entire life, Brittany wasn't exactly smart when it came to the layout of the school.<p>

"Where are we going?" Blaine asked as the blonde dragged him down the corridor (he was beginning to get used to that) and turned into one that looked strangely familiar, though didn't they all look the same? Brittany frowned, confused.

"I don't know. Where _are _we going?"

"Cafeteria, right?"

"Okay!"

"Lost?" Sam smiled as he came up beside the pair, pushing Artie. Blaine smiled in relief – as adorable and beautiful and utterly lovely Brittany was, she was frustrating and confusing to deal with for long periods of time. Like double periods of History with her asking if Coach Sylvester was a communist because she wore red.

"Just a little."

Artie gestured for the pair to follow them and soon enough, the four made it to the cafeteria. Mercedes was waiting outside, talking to someone on her mobile. She looked tense and worried, snapping at whoever was on the other end.

"Just _find _him!"

"What's going on?" Sam managed to ask before Blaine could even open his mouth.

Mercedes jumped at the sound of his voice and looked at the four new arrivals. The nervousness and worry on her face became more pronounced when she saw Blaine and instantly he was on guard. _What's happened?_

"Kurt was supposed to walk here with Becky after French," the diva explained, Blaine nodding at the memory of Santana explaining who Becky was "But he wasn't here when I got here. And that was five minutes ago. Santana and Quinn can't find him."

Blaine's heart sunk. In McKinley, that _couldn't_ be good. He hadn't had the misfortune to run into Karofsky yet, though he'd seen the footballer around earlier and had been in one of his classes. If the bully had anything to do with why they couldn't find Kurt, then Blaine was going to…

What? What was he going to do? What exactly could a rather short, not-muscular Dalton transfer do to a very tall, very big, very _scary_ footballer like Karofsky? Not much. But dammit, if Kurt was hurt, he'd do anything.

"We'll go look for him," Artie said, poking Sam to get him to move. They disappeared down one of the halls, and before Mercedes could even look back at Blaine, he was gone.

* * *

><p>Ten minutes. He'd been searching for Kurt for <em>ten minutes<em> and he couldn't find him. Blaine was beginning to panic and when his phone vibrated in his pocket he jumped a mile. Quickly he pulled it out and answered without bothering to check the ID.  
><em><br>"Blaine? Have you found him yet?" _Mercedes asked from the other end.

"No, I'm still looking…"

Blaine trailed off as he heard those oh-so-heartbreakingly-familiar sobs he'd never wanted to hear again. They were faint against the backdrop of chattering, moving kids, but it was _there_. Blaine ran down the hall, getting some looks from the girls and odd glances from those he shoved past, but he didn't care. Kurt was in trouble.

As he neared the boy's locker room the sobs became louder and Blaine's heart beat faster and faster. How much danger was Kurt in? How hurt was he? Was he going to be okay? How could they let something like this go unpunished? How could the dozens of people wandering by just _ignore_ that crying? Were they _heartless_? Did they have no _souls_?

He skidded to a stop as the locker room door opened suddenly and nearly slammed into his face. He watched as a familiar figure walked away from the locker room, back turned to him. But it was blatantly obvious who it was. There was no mistaking the figure of Dave Karofsky.

"Bastard," Blaine swore under his breath before swinging the door open and again and running in.

His heart stopped.

Kurt. Was lying on the floor. Crying. Hurt. There was blood. Not much, but there was _blood_. _That bastard drew blood. _Kurt was curled up in a ball on the floor of the locker room, sobbing his heart out as he hugged himself defensively. Blood leaked from his nose and mouth, one eye beginning to blacken and bruises already starting to appear along his slender arms and _holy shit they're all over his neck_.

He could vaguely hear Mercedes yelling hysterically at him through the phone he still held in his hand, and he lifted it to his ear.

"Mercedes…"

"What is going-Blaine?" Mercedes stopped her tirade and her voice dropped low in fear.

"Mercedes…boy's locker room…he needs help."

"On my way."

Mercedes phone cut off and Blaine shoved his own phone back in his pocket. He was acting on autopilot as he knelt down beside Kurt and gently, carefully, touched his shoulder.

Kurt _screamed_.

"Kurt, it's me, it's Blaine, please, it's me," Blaine spoke so quickly his words strung together into one long sentence as he tried to calm Kurt down from what was quickly becoming one of the biggest panic attacks Blaine had ever seen. Kurt was hyperventilating, shaking violently and still sobbing and gasping for breath. Blaine didn't dare touch him again for fear of worsening the situation. He felt so helpless – here was his boyfriend, battered and broken, and _he couldn't do anything about it._ Kurt wouldn't let him touch him. He could barely even stand his presence.

At that moment Mercedes and a group of others ran into the locker room, utterly ignoring the gender restriction. Blaine stepped back in shock as Mercedes, Brittany, Santana, Quinn and Tina knelt down beside Kurt and tried to calm him down. In some strange, horrible twist of fate, or some other such terrible occurrence that made Blaine's heart skip beats, Kurt seemed to instantly calm down when he realised the girls were around him. He coughed and sobbed as Mercedes gently rubbed his shoulder, keeping the physical contact to a limit. But she and the others talked quietly to him, reassuring him and doing their best to calm him. It seemed to be working.

"Do you know who did it?" Santana asked, a dangerous glint in her eye as she turned her head to face the shell-shocked Blaine for a moment.

Before he could answer, the boys came charging in. They took one look at the situation and immediately their expressions became one of cold murderous intent.

"Who did it?" Puck seconded Santana's question as Mike and Artie moved to try and comfort Blaine, who was in such shock he could barely open his mouth. _Stuff like this just doesn't happen. It doesn't. Not this bad. It can't. Not in a school like this. Oh God, I thought they were exaggerating. This can't be happening._  
>Kurt flinched at the sound of Puck's voice and choked out a sob.<p>

"Karofsky," Blaine mumbled, too confused and stunned to say much more.

"Are you sure?" Sam asked, but Finn was already gone. When Blaine nodded mutely, the rest of the boys were gone in seconds, leaving only Blaine and Artie behind.

* * *

><p>"Finn!" Sam called. A fight would <em>not<em> be good. As much as that bastard deserved to get his head punched in, it wasn't going to help the situation and they'd _all_ get in trouble. But Finn wasn't listening. He was _furious_.

"I've had enough of this!" he shouted, scaring a few younger kids standing by their lockers "I'm not going to let him get away with this anymore!"

Puck was by his side, more than ready to beat the crap out of Karofsky once and for all. Ever since befriending Kurt, Puck had felt some sort of connection to the kid. He felt like he had a duty to protect him from the big wide world, especially _people_ (if the word could be used) like Karofsky. And he was more than prepared to do what it took to make sure the other footballer backed down. It seemed Finn thought the same. Mike and Sam were left to try and defuse the situation. As much as they hated the bully, they knew a fight wouldn't solve anything. It would be satisfying to punch the kid in the face, but nothing would get resolved and there was the chance that Karofsky might go after Kurt harder in revenge. No one wanted that. If what he'd just done was taking it easy, no one wanted to see what he would do if provoked.

"Karofsky!" Finn roared as he caught sight of the fellow jock ahead of him in the corridor. The boy flinched (one point to the glee boys) and turned, a sneer painted onto his face.

"What?"

Obviously he had a death wish, facing down the wrath of Finn like that. He was positively _lethal_. Finn shoved Karofsky hard into the lockers, pinning him there.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Finn yelled in his face "I've had enough of your shit! You touch my brother again, and I'll make sure you live to regret it."

Karofsky, while suitably scared, didn't back down like a normal person would – no, he continued to antagonise the already riled-up Finn.

"I didn't do anything to your precious retard," the jock shot back.

Finn growled, "Don't call him that."

"Does spaz sound better?"

Finn pulled back a little, taking Karofsky with him by the front of his jacket – and for a moment, Mike and Sam thought he might let him go. But Finn was going to do no such thing. He slammed Karofsky back into the locker _hard _before throwing him to the floor.

"I see you even looking at my brother and I swear I'll…" Finn shouted, standing over the now-bleeding Karofsky. He was interrupted by a voice twice as loud; something they all thought was impossible.

"WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON HERE?"

Everyone backed down, Puck included, except for Finn; he grabbed Karofsky and pulled him up again. He moved to slam him into the lockers again when Coach Bieste intervened and physically pulled the raging teenager away.

"I don't believe it!" she shouted "What's this about?"

Finn glared at Karofsky, "You coward."

"Hudson!"

"He hurt my brother," Finn said, turning on his football coach in an amazing show of bravery considering the current situation "I'm not going to take it anymore."

He looked back at Karofsky, who was checking the bleeding wound at the back of his head from where it'd been slammed into the sharp corner of a locker. He made no move forward but glared at the jock darkly.

"I should never have let you get away with it in the first place. This ends now."

Finn took a step forward – and for the first time, Puck and the other boys had _no_ idea how far Finn was willing to go. No one had ever seen him this riled up before, this utterly furious with a total lack of his usual reserve and common sense. All that had flown out the window and left a raging, fuming teenager in its wake. Bieste grabbed his arm and stopped him from going any closer to Karofsky, who smirked triumphantly. He thought he'd won this round. They all did.

But Finn wasn't finished.

He turned back to his coach and in a surprisingly calm voice told her, "I'm sorry Coach, but I can't play on the same team as him. I won't do it."

"Are you quitting?" Bieste's voice was dangerously low and questioning – was Finn really going to do this?

"If you don't kick Karofsky off for what he did, I will quit."

"I didn't do anything!" the jock shot back from the floor.

"Hudson…"

Finn tore his arm out of her iron grip and in a surprising show of restraint, walked away. From Karofsky, from Bieste, from _everything_. He walked away, back in the direction of the boy's locker room. The coach, football players and a gathered crowd were left in stunned silence.

_The quarterback just quit._

"Evans…" Bieste started, turning to him. As if reading her mind, the blonde shook his head. The standard had been set. The line drawn. Finn had crossed it, throwing away football for his stepbrother.

Sam took one step over that line, "No way, Coach. I quit too, if you won't kick Karofsky off."

With that, he turned and walked away. A moment later, Mike voiced the same opinion and followed the two former players. Only Puck was left, staring at the coach and Karofsky blankly.

"Puckerman. Don't tell me…"

Once again she was interrupted as Puck shook his head and spoke, "I'm with Finn. I can't play on the same team as someone who beat the crap out of Kurt. I quit."

"Puckerman!"

But he walked away.

* * *

><p>By the time Finn returned, Kurt had started to calm down a little. Mercedes was whispering softly to him, repeating over and over again that they were here for him, they weren't going to leave, he was safe, he was okay. Santana, Quinn and Tina were also circled around the broken, beaten boy on the floor, no one touching him but there to protect him if necessary. Still he was sobbing, though he was starting to breathe a little better and he wasn't shaking as much as he had been. Finn's gaze shifted from his stepbrother to Blaine. The other boy was sat on the floor a little way off next to Artie, leaning on the side of the wheelchair and staring at Kurt blankly. There was something dangerous in his eyes, a dullness shadowing the glint of anger that sparked across them.<p>

"Is he gonna be okay?" Finn asked quietly to Mercedes. Kurt flinched at the sound of his voice and coughed out another choked sob. Santana glared at him.

"Shut up. You're scaring him. He'll be fine, we just have to get the nurse out here. We sent Brittany already but she's been ages."

"Why the hell did you send…" Puck shut up when Kurt made a small whimpering noise as the former footballer spoke.

"She volunteered," Tina replied quietly, silently warning the boys not to make another sound.

A moment later, the door burst open and Brittany rushed in with the nurse behind her. The woman knelt by Kurt immediately, pushing in between Quinn and Tina to check on the bleeding, hurt boy.

"They just don't listen, do they?" the dark haired nurse sighed to herself "I keep telling them that this is going on, but they just won't listen. Don't want to hear it. Don't want to know."

Between the four girls and the nurse, they managed to get Kurt to his trembling feet and through the door on their way to the front of the school so they could get him home. Brittany chased after them and Finn followed, already pulling out his mobile to call his mother to pick them up. It left Puck, Sam, Mike and Artie alone with Blaine, who had his eyes closed now as he tried to make sense of everything.

_This was not supposed to happen. They said he got hurt, but they never said it was this bad. Never. How can anyone get away with this? How can people just ignore what's going around right in front of them? Are they blind? How can they not see what's happening to Kurt, or not do anything about it? How _can_ they? And the Glee kids! How can they possibly call themselves Kurt's friends when they let him get hurt like that? They let him get beaten up and _no one_ does anything about it! Ever! What kind of people _do_ this?_

"Blaine?"

The new transfer stood up slowly, steadying himself on Artie's wheelchair. He stood there for a moment, silent, staring at the floor now with blank eyes.

And then he blew.

"How the hell could you let something like that happen! How can you let him get hurt like that?" he yelled, turning on the remaining boys.

"Hey, we try to look after him," Puck shot back in retaliation "At least we're here, looking after him."

"What do you think I'm here for?"

Sam and Mike stepped back to stand near Artie as Blaine and Puck shouted at each other, tempers raging and the heat rising steadily.

"You wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for me and Finn!" Puck growled "You'd be in that fancy school of yours across the world! You were just going to go!"

"You have no idea what I was facing!" Blaine returned, glaring up at the much taller teenager "I didn't _want_to go. And that's not the point! You're supposed to protect him!"

"You're his _boyfriend_. You're supposed to protect him."

Puck's voice dropped to a normal volume and suddenly Blaine stopped. _Oh God, he's right, I'm supposed to be the one protecting Kurt and I let him down, and now he's hurt because of it. What have I done?_

But all his fear and insecurity and terror and despair was twisted and contorted into rage. He threw himself at Puck, slamming a decent punch to the teenager's jaw before Puck punched him hard and sent him sprawling. Now Sam and the others intervened, the blonde holding Puck back while Mike and Artie moved to help Blaine and stop him from launching himself at the mohawked teenager. But all the anger had just evaporated in an instant and Blaine couldn't breathe. He scrambled to his feet and _ran_. He had to find Kurt.

* * *

><p>Blaine caught up to the girls and Finn just as a car was pulling out of the car park. Finn turned to him and managed to stop Blaine from colliding with the pavement as he stumbled and his knees buckled.<p>

"Mom just took him home, she wouldn't let me go."  
><em><br>Gone.  
><em>  
>He was <em>not<em> going to cry. If he was going to do anything, it was _not cry_. Not in front of Finn. And certainly not _on_ Finn. But dammit, he couldn't take it anymore. The girls seemed to realise and carefully peeled him off Finn and took him back towards the school, surrounding him in a circle to keep him upright. They moved instantly for the nearest empty classroom and the moment the door was shut, Blaine let go.

"It wasn't your fault," Mercedes reassured him as Blaine did his best not to sob uncontrollably on her shoulder. He was going to keep at least _some_of what little dignity he had left. Brittany patted his back comfortingly, though no one was really sure if she understood what she was comforting him for. Quinn left to find out what had gone down earlier from Finn, and Tina and Santana stood on the fringes, not sure exactly what to do.

"I should have protected him."

"Boy, it wasn't your fault, okay?" Mercedes said firmly "It was that idiot's fault."

"I should have been there."

"He makes that walk almost every day with Becky," Santana said "This is one of the few times Karofsky's actually done something."

Quinn raced back in, a look of surprise on her face. Blaine composed himself, pulling away from Mercedes and looking at Quinn along with the girls.

"Do you know what the guys did?" the blonde asked, coming to a stop just inside the door.

"What?" Tina asked, curious.

"They _quit _the football team. Because Karofsky wasn't kicked off for what he did."

There was a moment of silence. Mercedes and Blaine exchanged glances as Quinn continued.

"Apparently Finn just _quit_, and then Sam and Mike and Puck did too. Coach Bieste is _furious_. She's trying to get Finn back now!"

The girls and Blaine rushed outside to find themselves in the crowd watching Bieste and Finn face off. The teenager was stubbornly refusing to return to the team and as the football coach did her best to persuade him to come back, the other players she'd lost made their way to Finn's side, pushing their way through the crowd to stand by their friend – Artie included, though he wasn't on the team anymore anyway to be able to quit (they all knew he would have at any rate).

"Hudson, you're the quarterback. You can't just quit," Bieste was saying. Everyone knew that if anyone was going to get the quarterback position it would be Sam – but he was out. And there was no one else as talented left on the team who would be able to win a game. Bieste knew it. Everyone did. Which was why she was fighting so hard to get Finn (or at least Sam) back in the game.

"Sorry Coach," Finn sounded genuinely apologetic "But I can't play. Not while Karofsky's on the team."

"I can't kick a kid off for something he may or may not have done."

"He _did_ it. I know he did. There's no one else _stupid _enough to try and beat the crap out of Kurt."

Blaine had to smile through his fast-drying tears. Finn hadn't seen Karofsky do anything. Hell, even _Blaine_ hadn't technically seen Karofsky do anything. But Blaine had seen the jock walk out of that locker room. And all the glee clubbers knew that it was Karofsky who had it out for Kurt. It was enough evidence in anyone's mind. And even though Finn hadn't seen it, he was taking Blaine's word for it. He was trusting Blaine so far as to quit the football team on only Blaine's word that Karofsky had done it. It took guts. And it took loyalty – one thing Finn had in abundance.

"Hudson… boys," Bieste amended, widening her comment to encompass all the now ex-footballers who stood by Finn "If he's done something, and it can be proved, then I'll certainly kick him off the team. But all I've got is your accusations and not a whole lot of proof. Can you prove to me that Karofsky did it?"

Finn's expression sunk as he shook his head, but Blaine could still see the determination in his eyes. He was going to _fight_ for this. He believed with all his heart that he was doing the right thing, and _that_ was what he liked about Finn. He fought with everything he had for what he truly believed was right. He was loyal.

"Then I can't do anything."

"Then I can't come back to the team," Finn said firmly, turning and walking away out of the crowd. The glee boys followed him and the students parted for the group to pass through. In a few moments everyone had started to wander off to their own things, getting ready for the inevitable bell in a few minutes. Finn and the others made their way towards the girls and Blaine who had managed to calm himself down. He glanced apologetically at Puck.

"So-"

"Don't," Puck warned "Just forget it."

"This is the worst he's ever done," Tina said quietly, almost to herself, biting her lip nervously as she thought back to her friend's situation.

"How is Kurt?" Mike asked as he took his girlfriend's hand.

Santana sighed, "The nurse said he'd be okay physically, but he can't stand guys anywhere near him – whatever that _hijo de puta _did to him, it scared the crap out of him. Finn couldn't say a word without Kurt freaking out."

Blaine ignored Santana's slight switch to Spanish as she assumedly insulted Karofsky and focused on the important point – _Kurt was scared of guys._

_I promise Kurt, I'll find out what Karofsky did to you and I'll make sure he never does it again. He will _never_ hurt you again._

* * *

><p>Blaine hesitated at Kurt's door, wondering if he should knock. Would Kurt want to see him? If he was as bad as he'd been earlier, there was a very strong chance Kurt would have a major freak out. No one wanted that – Blaine most of all. He decided to go ahead – he had to know if Kurt was alright and how bad he really was. He couldn't stand not knowing any more. He'd just spent the rest of the school hours worrying about Kurt and wondering if he was going to be okay. It would be stupid not to check on him now.<p>

It didn't stop him from feeling so _nervous_ when he knocked lightly on the door.

He got a small, mumbling response from the other side and Blaine's heart clenched at the sound. That wasn't Kurt. Not that Kurt he knew, anyway. He pushed open the door and peeked inside.

Kurt was lying on his bed, curled up tightly in the same position he had been in after being beaten in the locker room. For a moment, Blaine could see that scene all over again in his head, flashing past. Blood, bruises, Kurt crying. But then he was back, watching Kurt curled up alone on his bed. No blood, but still covered in bruises, handprints starting to form around his neck (and didn't that just scare the hell out of Blaine) and a black eye beginning to show more prominently. Not crying, but still trembling a little. His eyes were screwed shut, one hand to his lips as he tried to fight back his tears.

The sight broke Blaine's heart.

"Kurt?"

Just that word had Kurt whimpering in fear, but he relaxed slightly and opened his eyes. The pair locked eyes for a moment before Kurt mumbled something in a pain-filled voice that made Blaine want to break down all over again.

"Blaine?"

"Shh," Blaine whispered, walking over and sitting down carefully on the edge of the bed, being careful not to touch Kurt as much as he wished to just hold him and keep him close. Kurt seemed to have other ideas, tentatively reaching out the hand from his face to briefly touch Blaine's fingers. He gave Blaine a sad and questioning look, one of hope. It shattered Blaine's heart to see his boyfriend look at him that way, so broken and afraid. But it was the biggest step that Kurt was even tolerating his presence, considering the way he'd reacted earlier when any of the boys had even spoken.

"I promise it's going to be okay," Blaine said quietly, brushing his fingertips over the back of Kurt's hand lightly. Kurt shivered under the touch, seeming to fight with himself to pull away but instead letting the contact continue.

"Blaine…"

"You're going to be alright," Blaine whispered, both to himself and Kurt "I promise."

* * *

><p><strong>I hope I did Sue justice; I don't think I wrote her few lines very well, but I did my best. She's just too awesome to be written down ;P<strong>

**And Santana's Spanish _should_ say 'son of a bitch'. Hopefully the translator was right :)**

**NEXT: The Karofsky issue needs to be resolved, Blaine tries to help Kurt, and New Directions tries to help Blaine.**


	9. Alone

**I LOVE YOU GUYS**

**Okay, now that I've said that...**

**Wait...**

**Shout out! To A. Carver, Chuckles. is. Me, TanyaUchicha (I'll miss you!), Verdandil (Thanks for the French!) and Ittlebitz!**

**Hope you all enjoy this lovely (unbeta'ed) chapter of Worlds Apart! And yes, I'm a dork and couldn't resist the song... You'll see what I mean... ;P**

**I used some suggestions by TanyaUchicha - thank you!**

**Oh, and I was going to have Blaine become an emancipated adult after TU's suggestion, but I did a little research and in actual fact, Ohio has no emancipation laws. You can only become emancipated if you get married (with parental consent) or join the military, neither of which are really options for Blaine ;P **

**And none of the songs are mine, they belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

><p><span>Alone<span>

**There's just one loose end that needs to be tied up - Karofsky. The tension is mounting and something has to snap. Featuring scared Kurt, overprotective... everyone, hurt Blaine, Sue, defensive Rachel and a dysfunctional New Directions (but since when is that new?)**

A whole week.

Three days for Kurt to allow Blaine to hug him.

Another two for him to tolerate Finn's presence in his room.

And another two before any of the other ex-football players could go near him without him screaming.

* * *

><p>Blaine wondered if he'd ever be able to do something like that. He frowned, staring at the video on the screen of his laptop curiously. Most of the techniques the videos showed were of how to defend yourself against someone actually grabbing you. Blaine had the feeling Karofsky would rather punch him in the face and be done with it. He sighed, storing a few of the more helpful moves away in his memory. One day he'd probably have to use them. With Kurt by his side he had to be ready for anything and his height certainly didn't help. If he'd grown up looking like Finn or Puck, or even Mike, he would be okay in looking after Kurt. Finn had proved that when he'd shoved the jock into the locker (as he'd told Blaine after a failed attempt to get Kurt to trust him a little more). But instead he was, as that cheerleader coach had said, a hobbit. As much as he disliked it, that was fact and he couldn't change that. So he was going to have to fight dirty. He wouldn't be starting any fights but if Karofsky came for him or Kurt, Blaine would do whatever it took to take him down, dirty tactics or not.<p>

He let himself smile as Kurt blinked his eyes open, having just woken up. He lifted his head from Blaine's shoulder and looked at him blankly. Blaine still winced internally when he saw the almost-faded bruises around Kurt's eyes and neck. Then Kurt smiled for a moment, a tentative smile that made Blaine's heart skip a beat in happiness. He would never get tired of seeing that smile.

He shut his laptop off, glancing at the clock. It was late and everyone else was probably already asleep. He knew he should be getting some sleep himself – after all, it was school tomorrow. Every day he'd had to force himself not to confront to cocky bastard that walked around the school as if he were invincible. Karofsky seemed to think that he could get away with everything. Since Finn and the others had failed to convince anyone that the jock was the one responsible, Karofsky figured he was safe and sound. Blaine wished there was something he could _do_.

As he swung his legs over the edge of Kurt's bed he felt Kurt grab his arm tightly. He looked back in surprise – this was the first and most contact Kurt had actually initiated himself since the attack. His boyfriend stared at him, eyes wide and scared.

"Ne t'en va pas."_  
><em>  
>The words were obvious. Blaine sighed, "I have to go, Kurt. I have to get some sleep."<p>

"J'ai peur. Reste avec moi."

_I'm scared. Stay with me._

Blaine chewed on his lip for a moment, hesitating only a brief second before putting his laptop down on the bedside table and coming back to Kurt. He was surprised when Kurt pulled him into a tight hug, shaking.

"It's okay," Blaine soothed, rubbing Kurt's back "You're alright. I'm here."

"Ne me quitte pas."

_Don't leave me._

"Okay baby, I won't," Blaine whispered, seeing how upset Kurt was getting. Kurt nodded, relaxing a little as he trusted Blaine to do as he'd just said. The ex-Warbler realised just how much Kurt trusted him – he'd almost forgotten how he was the only one Kurt hugged or allowed to hug him. For some reason he'd latched onto Blaine that day in the coffee shop and never looked back. There was something about him that Kurt saw and thought was different to everyone else, worth trusting him for and believing in him. Blaine had no idea what it was or why Kurt thought he was worthy of his trust – if anything, he should trust Finn and Mercedes more than anyone; the one he lived with and his best friend for life. But for some strange and amazing reason, Kurt trusted him above all others.

It took Blaine a moment to realise Kurt had fallen asleep again, still clutching at his boyfriend's shirt and head on his shoulder. He tried to uncurl Kurt's fingers from his shirt but found that whenever he tried Kurt would just tighten his grip and whine under his breath. Blaine smiled and lay down on his back, letting Kurt rearrange himself so he was draped over the other's chest, sleeping peacefully.

Running his hand absently across Kurt's back, Blaine was soon asleep.

* * *

><p>"Blaine, can I talk to you?" Burt called just as the boy in question was following Finn out the door to head to school. He nodded, walking back to hear what Kurt's father had to say. The raised eyebrow and suspicious look had Blaine feeling nervous.<p>

"I went to check on Kurt last night," Burt said, and Blaine's heart dropped. He'd seen. Taken it the wrong way. He opened his mouth to explain but Burt stopped him with a hand. Blaine fell silent, hoping Burt wouldn't do anything too drastic. Despite the fact Blaine wasn't actually his son, the teenager was still afraid of Burt and what he could – and would – do when it came to Kurt.

"I thought I warned you about anything inappropriate with my son."

"He was scared. He asked me to stay. Nothing happened," Blaine replied "I wouldn't…"

"I know," Burt said with a small smile.

Blaine frowned, confused until Burt relented and explained.

"I just wanted to hear it from you. But don't let me catch you in the same situation again, am I clear?"

"Yes si-" Blaine caught himself, smiling. Burt smiled just slightly, enough to ease the tension.

Just then someone barrelled into him, laughing a familiar laugh that made Blaine smile and frown at the same time, happy and confused. He looked over and saw Kurt hanging onto his shoulder. Blaine caught sight of Kurt's bag over the boy's shoulder and was even more surprised.

"Kurt…are you sure?"

Kurt asked quietly, "Resteras-tu avec moi?"

_Will you stay with me?_

Blaine nodded, "We all will. Promise."

Kurt also nodded in reply, smiling. Burt looked on apprehensively, "You look after him. All of you. I don't want to see him that way again, you hear me?"

"There's no way I'm letting that happen," Blaine said truthfully. He'd do anything to make sure Kurt remained safe. Burt nodded, still cautious but knowing that he couldn't keep Kurt home forever. Some day he would have to go back to school, and today was that day.

"Go on then."

* * *

><p>Blaine never left Kurt's side all day. He only left him when they had different classes, and even then he made sure that someone from the glee club was with him. It wasn't hard. Everyone wanted to stick by Kurt's side when they realised he'd come back to school. And it seemed other people were also interested. As Blaine, Kurt and Sam walked down the hall towards the cafeteria, they noticed Karofsky watching them. Blaine shot him a dark look, gripping Kurt's hand tighter. The jock looked away but Blaine saw something in his eyes – something that scared him.<p>

"We'll be back," Blaine said to Sam, turning and taking Kurt back the way they'd come. The blonde stared after them, confused and wondering whether to follow them as Kurt obediently trotted after Blaine and kept a firm grip on his hand.

They were stopped a little way down the hall by another familiar face. Kurt's eyes lit up when he saw the woman while Blaine shivered unconsciously.

"Hobbit," Coach Sylvester said, arms folded against her chest "It was not made apparent to me that you and Porcelain are in some sort of relationship. One of which I have not approved."

Blaine wondered for a moment why he would need this woman's approval to be Kurt's boyfriend when he remembered a conversation he'd had with Mercedes earlier in the week while Kurt had still been at home.

"_Kurt's her favourite," Mercedes said, gesturing to the cheerleading coach that was shoving an annoying student out of her way so she could stalk down the hall. Blaine frowned._

_"I don't…"_

_"Don't even try to understand," Mercedes chuckled "Just go with it. And don't annoy her."_

_Blaine decided to keep that in mind._

"Hi Sue," Kurt grinned. Sue looked down at him with a nod and the barest hint of a smile.

"Do I need to call my Cheerios to keep this greased-up furry-footed little mini-Schuester away?" she asked Kurt. He giggled and shook his head.

"Good. You see that Santana finds out if something goes wrong, clear?"

Kurt nodded and Sue glanced at Blaine briefly before walking off, shoving a kid out of the way despite the fact she could easily have walked around her. Rolling his eyes and smiling, Blaine took off again to where he'd been taking Kurt in the first place.

He took Kurt down the corridor towards a familiar room – one he'd been introduced to very quickly by the New Directions members. Kurt smiled as his boyfriend pulled him into the choir room and shut the door behind them. Blaine turned and took both of Kurt's hands, leading him towards the piano and sitting the two of them down.

"I'm really glad you came today," Blaine smiled, heart fluttering as Kurt smiled widely in response.

"Since you were… hurt," he continued "I've been coming here after school to work on something. For you."

Kurt looked intrigued, tilting his head curiously. Blaine had the sudden feeling that this was just a little bit silly and stupid – but the grin on Kurt's face dispelled all fears he had. He let go of Kurt's hand and turned to the piano, hesitantly starting to play.

_I've been alone  
>Surrounded by darkness<br>I've seen how heartless  
>The world can be<em>

He risked a glance at Kurt and couldn't hold back a smile at the look on his face.

_I've seen you crying  
>You felt like it's hopeless<br>I'll always do my best  
>To make you see<em>

_Baby, you're not alone  
>Cause you're here with me<br>And nothing's ever gonna bring us down  
>Cause nothing can keep me from lovin' you<br>And you know it's true  
>It don't matter what'll come to be<br>Our love is all we need to make it through_

He flushed a light red as Kurt giggled and put a hand on his shoulder, sighing as he contentedly listened to Blaine sing.

_Now I know it ain't easy  
>But it ain't hard trying<br>Every time I see you smiling  
>And I feel you so close to me<br>And you tell me_

Blaine was surprised when Kurt sang the next verse from memory, lifting his head to look at Blaine and smile. Blaine continued to play as Kurt sang quietly.

_Baby, you're not alone  
>Cause you're here with me<br>And nothing's ever gonna bring us down  
>Cause nothing can keep me from lovin' you<br>And you know it's true  
>It don't matter what'll come to be<br>Our love is all we need to make it through_

Kurt fell silent as Blaine took up the song again, shaking his head and laughing to himself.

_I still have trouble  
>I trip and stumble<br>Trying to make sense of things sometimes  
>I look for reasons<br>But I don't need 'em  
>All I need is to look in your eyes<br>And I realize_

Kurt picked up the lyrics again alongside Blaine and the pair grinned as they sang together, Blaine's fingers flying across the keys.

_Baby I'm not alone  
>Cause you're here with me<br>And nothing's ever gonna take us down  
>Cause nothing can keep me from lovin' you<br>And you know it's true  
>It don't matter what'll come to be<br>Our love is all we need to make it through_

_Ooh_

_Cause you're here with me  
>And nothing's ever gonna bring us down<br>Cause nothing, nothing, nothing can keep me from lovin' you  
>And you know it's true<br>It don't matter what'll come to be  
>You know our love is all we need<br>Our love is all we need to make it through_

Blaine trailed off, the music fading away to nothing. In the silence that followed, Kurt and Blaine exchanged glances, giggling, laughing and grinning like idiots. Blaine put an arm around the other's shoulder, Kurt leaning on Blaine's.

"C'est très beau."_  
><em>  
>The meaning was obvious. Blaine chuckled and rubbed Kurt's arm.<p>

"So are you."

He knew Kurt was blushing. Kurt lifted his head to look at Blaine carefully, adoration in his pale blue eyes.

"As-tu écris ça pour moi?"_  
><em>  
>"Yes, I did write it for you," Blaine couldn't take his eyes off Kurt "I just wanted you to know that I love you. It doesn't matter what happens, right? We've both been through some pretty bad stuff, but that doesn't matter."<p>

"Hey fags."

Kurt shuddered at the sound of the familiar voice and grabbed at Blaine. The pair stood up, turning to see Karofsky in the now-open doorway. Kurt hid behind Blaine, holding on to him and mumbling under his breath in disjointed French. Blaine took the hand that was clinging to his shoulder, determined not to let Karofsky hurt his boyfriend anymore. Ever again.

"You're not wanted here," Blaine said, feeling much braver than he probably should with a huge football player like Karofsky staring him down. The other raised an eyebrow, scoffing.

"Really? I never would have guessed."

He took a step into the room, and another, and another. Kurt buried his head in Blaine's shoulder as the shortest of the three backed up a pace, thinking _maybe we can get to the other door, get out of here._ He pushed Kurt towards the second door and as much as he wanted to hold onto Blaine, Kurt's instinct to run like hell kicked in and he tried to reach the door. Blaine turned just in time to see the doorway blocked by one of Karofsky's minions – Azimio, if he remembered correctly. Kurt backed up in terror, grabbing onto Blaine again, shaking violently as memories flooded to the surface of not only the last attack but years of previous abuse by the football players. Blaine held onto him, feeling more than a little _screwed_. He slipped his hand into his pocket, feeling for his phone. As much as he wanted to beat the crap out of Karofsky, he knew it wasn't going to happen – yet – and his best bet at getting both of them out of this relatively unscathed would be a well-placed text or call to Finn. But as he glanced down at his phone he realised he had no service. Of course. His parents would choose _now_ of all times to cut his phone off. They'd probably forgotten about it until now. But why couldn't they have forgotten it for another ten minutes or so? Five, even. He twisted to stare at Karofsky, wondering what he was going to do now. They were effectively trapped and Blaine had never felt so useless. He'd promised his boyfriend, Burt, everyone, that he would look after Kurt and now came the time and he couldn't do it.

Karofsky was only a pace in front of him now, towering over the pair. He signalled to his friend and before Blaine knew it, Kurt's hands were torn from his shirt and Kurt was screaming. He turned to stop whatever Azimio was doing but just as he caught sight of the jock holding a fighting, screaming Kurt down to shut him up, something heavy slammed into his head, his vision grew blurry, and he hit the ground. From the floor he stared up at Karofsky, head spinning. The jock picked him up by the front of his shirt and glared at him.

"Who do you think you are?" he growled "Think you can just come in here and not have to deal with the consequences?"

"Wh-"

Karofsky dropped him onto the floor, not helping his head _at all_. The jock kicked him hard in the side and Blaine curled in on himself, biting his lip as memories started to resurface that he fought hard to keep down – but ultimately failed.

"_Who do you think you are, Anderson? Someone special?"_

"_Shut up. No one cares."_

"_Think someone wants to save you? Think again. No one knows. And no one cares."_

By the time he managed to wrestle his memories back into their little vault at the back of his mind, Karofsky decided he was done. Blaine couldn't quite feel anything properly and tried to sit up but found he couldn't; his head was whirling too fast. It took him a moment to realise why Karofsky had stopped.

"I swear I'll kill you," Finn's voice rang out.

That was about the point where Blaine blacked out.

* * *

><p>Finn was minding his own business. He was good at that. Just heading towards the cafeteria where he'd meet up with the rest of his friends. But when he heard a loud scream coming from the direction of the choir room, and he <em>recognised <em>the scream, Finn knew lunch was going to have to wait. He ran towards the choir room, shoving the door open just as Karofsky slammed a heavy kick to Blaine's side. Finn surveyed the scene with horror. Blaine was all but passed out on the floor, Karofsky standing over him. Azimio was trying to shut up Kurt who refused to be silenced, kicking and screaming at the contact he hated. When the jocks caught sight of Finn, they stared like rabbits in the headlights.

"I swear I'll kill you."

Finn took a step towards them and the two football players decided now was probably a good time to vanish. Azimio dropped Kurt and ran for the door, not ready to be beaten to a pulp by Finn and inevitably the other football dropouts. Karofsky hesitated for the briefest moment but when he saw the determination in Finn's eyes, and the way he was advancing on him, the jock figured running was a good idea. He ducked out of the room, leaving Finn alone with the two boys he considered brothers (well, Blaine was a little confusing… if they were brothers then that would make Kurt and Blaine like… incest, wouldn't it? Finn decided he'd just stop thinking about it at all – it was too weird).

Kurt was on his knees beside Blaine, holding him close and crying his name repeatedly. Finn stared, not entirely sure what to do. However, he did know someone who would know exactly what to do. Hastily he pulled out his phone and called the number.  
><em><br>"Finn? This better be important,_" Santana huffed on the other end.

"I-"

"_Holy crap, is that Kurt I can hear?_" he voice changed instantly and Finn could hear others clamouring on the other end for more information.

"Can you just get to the choir room? Like, now?" Finn's voice was shaky, having _no_idea how to handle this situation at all. It was too overwhelming.

"_We're about thirty seconds away._"

True to her word, no longer than thirty seconds later Santana, Mike, Quinn and Sam entered the choir room and stopped dead. They were only halted for a moment though – the girls quickly ran to Kurt and Blaine while Mike and Sam shifted over to Finn.

"What the hell happened?"

"Karofsky and Azimio."

Sam raised an eyebrow, "Did you see them do it?"

Finn's expression hardened, nodding, "Oh yeah. This is it. He's going."

Meanwhile, Santana and Quinn tried to persuade Kurt to let go of Blaine so Finn could get him to the nurse. But he refused to let go, fighting their attempts to pry him off.

"Look Kurt," Santana said finally "You want him to get better, don't you?"

Kurt stopped his low whine of Blaine's name and nodded, still crying.

"Then we have to get him to the nurse," Quinn said.

"You can hold his hand. Promise. He won't go anywhere without you."

Kurt paused and a moment later, relaxed his hold on Blaine and took his boyfriend's hand, gripping it tightly. Santana gestured for Finn to grab Blaine and the ex-footballer did so, Kurt never letting go of Blaine's hand.

They knew they must have looked ridiculous – Finn carrying a beaten-up Blaine, Kurt holding onto the latter's hand as they walked down the hall, Sam and Santana clearing the path ahead while Quinn and Mike called others from behind to get them all up to speed and to the nurse's office _pronto_. But none of them cared, and no one looked at them long enough to say anything or even form decent thoughts before Sam or Santana glared at them pointedly. They made it to the nurse fairly quickly and Sam, Santana, Quinn and Mike let the three boys go inside alone. They had a barrage of questions to answer as the rest of the glee club raced up the corridor towards them.

"What the hell happened?" Puck demanded.

"My boys okay?" Mercedes asked.

Artie looked outraged, "Was it Karofsky again?"

Puck cracked his knuckles, "Yeah, who do I have to beat up?"

The four in the know explained the situation and faces changed into expressions of horror as the quick tale was recounted.

"He hit _Blaine_?" Tina was shocked.

Puck didn't look any calmer, "I'll kill him. That rotten piece of…"

"He _has_ to get suspended now, right?" Artie asked "I mean, Finn _saw_ him do it. And Kurt and Blaine will tell their side. He _has _to go down for this."

"Oh, he's going down," Puck muttered under his breath.

The door to the office opened to reveal Finn who was instantly buried under a mountain of questions. He held up his hands to shut everyone up before adding his own explanation and news.

"I'm going to talk to Principal Figgins now. Mercedes, can you get Blaine and Kurt out the front? Burt's gonna pick them up. He should be fine, by the way."

Mercedes nodded, and the ex-footballers with the addition of Santana and Rachel demanded they come with Finn to talk to Figgins. They headed off, leaving Brittany, Quinn, Tina and Mercedes to get the boys out of the school to be picked up. They walked into the office to collect them.

Kurt still hadn't let go of Blaine's hand, nor stopped crying. Blaine was conscious again though they could tell he had a splitting headache by the way he was holding his head and groaning under his breath. He caught sight of them and smiled.

"I'm fine," he started, only to be shut up by Mercedes.

"I don't think so," she said, helping off stand up from the chair he was currently occupying "Come on boys, you're coming with us."

"Good luck getting that menace suspended," the nurse called, making the girls chuckle. At least they had someone on their side in this argument.

* * *

><p>"I want that kid expelled, or suspended at the very least," Burt said calmly, looking at Figgins but gesturing to Karofsky who sat on the other side of the room with his father. He looked sullen and angry, arms folded across his chest as he glared at Blaine. Kurt had his head buried in Blaine's shoulder to avoid having to see the jock again, shaking slightly. Blaine held his hand, shooting Karofsky dark looks similar to the ones Finn was sending the football player.<p>

It was three days after the choir room attack and finally Figgins had decided the matter important enough to warrant his investigation. Blaine was stunned at the system – it just didn't _work_. At all. It was a wonder this school had lasted as long as it had.

"I didn't do anything," Karofsky said under his breath.

"What exactly are you saying Dave did?" Figgins asked, directing his question to Blaine.

"He beat the crap out of me three days ago and Kurt a week before that. Not to mention everything else he's done because someone didn't have the intelligence to sort this out in the first place."

Figgins pointedly ignored that last comment and directed his next query to Karofsky.

"Did you attack these boys?"

"'Course not. They're liars."

"Who's the liar?" Finn started "I _saw_you."

"He hates me!" Karofsky shouted, glaring at the principal while pointing at Finn "All three of them! They all hate me! They just want to get me kicked out…"

"Dude, I hate you because you keep hurting my bros," Finn shot back "Maybe if you weren't such a dic-"

"I think we'll have to take some action," Figgins said hastily, glancing at Karofsky and his father "The evidence seems to point towards your son being the perpetrator. So for the moment, I'll be suspending your son until we can find out the truth of the matter."

Karofsky groaned and swore, while Blaine grinned into Kurt's hair. Finally. The monster was gone. For the time being, everything was going to be okay. Without their leader, the other footballers would most likely leave Kurt alone. Blaine let himself dare to hope that things were going to be just fine.

Ten minutes later and he was being pulled out of the office by Finn, Kurt still hanging onto his arm with the slightest touch of fear. Burt followed, watching Karofsky and his father leave. The jock shot Kurt and Blaine a glare but Blaine simply smiled in response.

"Can you wait out the front for us?" Finn asked Burt, surprising Blaine "We've just got something we have to do first."

Burt nodded, knowing not to question it at this point in time. Finn ran down the corridor, gesturing for Blaine to follow. Kurt dragged him down the hall, the last vestiges of fear leaving him and a smile returning to his face. Blaine let himself be pulled along, only hesitating when he realised they were taking him to the choir room. But he chewed on his lip and let the boys pull him in, rolling his eyes when he saw the entirety of New Directions there. Blaine was surprised to see Rachel covered in blue slushie – something he thankfully hadn't been subjected to yet.

"What happened?"

"Azimio," she said "I confronted him on his ridiculously stupid behaviour and got this in the face."

Blaine shook his head and smiled. He could imagine Rachel walking up to the much larger jock, telling him to his face what an idiot and a horrible person she thought he was. And he commended her for that. She smiled in return at him and Blaine began to wonder if there was a possible friendship there. After Rachel's disaster at Sectionals Blaine had been slow to trust her, but she was beginning to show her true colours – blue, apparently.

"Anyway," Quinn said, taking far too much delight in Rachel's state "We actually did bring you here for a reason."

"He gone?" Puck asked.

Blaine and Finn nodded in unison and New Directions cheered, Puck smirking to himself and Santana nodding once in approval. They'd been waiting for this day for a long time. A _long _time.

"The main reason we brought you here," Mike interjected, stopping the celebrations and looking at Blaine "is, well, you."

"What he's trying to say," Tina smiled "is that we know you've been through a lot of bad stuff – with your family and so on. And it _is_kind of our fault you got beaten up."

"How?"

"Well, if you hadn't come to McKinley…"

"That was my father's fault. Not yours," Blaine reassured them.

"In any case," Rachel said loudly "We wanted to sing something for you."

"Sort of a, 'Sorry, and we know things are kind of crap but everything's gonna be fine'," Sam said with a chuckle. Blaine gave up arguing and slumped into a chair, letting New Directions prepare. Somehow they'd manage to rope the band into playing this late after school (_"You had _so_ better be paying us for this" "Of course we are, now shut up and play"_) and within moments the music started. Blaine noticed Kurt was standing beside Mercedes, grinning at him shyly. Finn began to sing.

_Have you lost your way?  
>Livin' in the shadow of the messes that you made<br>And so it goes  
>Everything inside your circle starts to overflow<em>

_Take a step before you leap  
>Into the colours that you seek<br>You'll get back what you give away  
>So don't look back on yesterday<em>

The whole group began to sing, fitting in perfect harmony with each other though Rachel stood out – as usual. Blaine sat back and let them sing, smiling as he listened to the words.

_Wanna scream out  
>No more hiding<br>Don't be afraid of what's inside  
>Gonna tell ya you'll be alright<br>In the aftermath_

_Anytime anybody pulls you down  
>Anytime anybody says you're not allowed<br>Just remember you are not alone  
>In the aftermath<em>

Now it was Puck's turn to sing, Mercedes singing alongside him. They fixed their gazes on him and Blaine just shook his head.

Those damn New Directions. Why did he love them so much?

_You feel the weight  
>Of lies and contradictions that you live with every day<br>It's not too late  
>Think of what can be if you rewrite the role you play<em>

_Take a step before you leap  
>Into the colours that you seek<br>You give back what you give away  
>So don't look back on yesterday<em>

Again they all sang, Blaine tapping his foot to the beat. He absently ran his fingers across the bruising on his face, smiling and losing himself in the song and the lyrics.

_Wanna scream out  
>No more hiding<br>Don't be afraid of what's inside  
>Gonna tell ya you'll be alright<br>In the aftermath_

_Anytime anybody pulls you down  
>Anytime anybody says you're not allowed<br>Just remember you are not alone  
>In the aftermath<br>In the aftermath_

Sam sang alone, voice perfect. At the end, Kurt joined in, keeping his pale blue gaze on his boyfriend. Blaine couldn't take his eyes off him.

_Before you break you have to shed your armour  
>Take a trip and fall into the glitter<br>Tell a stranger that they're beautiful  
>So all you feel is love, love<br>All you feel is love, love_

He knew how dynamic yet dysfunctional the group was. This performance was a show of how they could work together instead of being some messed-up family that didn't make sense and you couldn't see for fights and anger. Mercedes's voice rang out clear above the rest on the long, powerful notes, blending in with Kurt's amazing voice of his own. Finn and Rachel were in harmony, Quinn and Sam's voice, Mike and Tina's. Santana's gorgeous voice able to be heard. If only they could sing like this all the time.

_Wanna scream out  
>No more hiding<br>Don't be afraid of what's inside  
>Wanna tell you you'll be alright<br>In the aftermath_

_Wanna scream out  
>No more hiding<br>Don't be afraid of what's inside  
>Gonna tell ya you'll be alright<br>In the aftermath_

_Anytime anybody pulls you down  
>Anytime anybody says you're not allowed<br>Just remember you are not alone  
>In the aftermath<br>In the aftermath  
>(Gonna tell ya you'll be alright)<br>In the aftermath  
>(Oh)<br>In the aftermath  
>(Oh)<br>Just remember you are not alone  
>In the aftermath<em>

The group faded out, Santana's final solo line ringing out. In the silence that followed, Blaine clapped and laughed.

"Amazing guys, as always."

"We're here for you, okay? You're a part of New Directions," Mercedes said "You're a part of this crazy family and you get the privileges of that."

They all crowded around him, Kurt sliding in first to hug him tightly. Then the others claimed hugs of their own, and Blaine laughed as he was crushed under a ton of New Directions.

He was a part of this dysfunctional family now. And he was damn proud of it too.

* * *

><p><strong>IM SORRY FOR THE ANGST D: Would it help if I said the next chapter is full of fluff and cuteness?<strong>

**Next: One word. Christmas.**


	10. Building This Family Of Ours

**Hey there everyone! There's been a huge wait between updates, hasn't there? I apologise for that, but school has finally finished (forever!) and I have study for my final exams :) Plus, I'm going away for five days tomorrow, so I wanted to get this up before then. Anyway, thank you so much to all the reviewers and readers, I've said it before but you're all amazing :D**

**Shout outs to MyPartnerInCrime, Ittlebitz (I _love _your reviews. Just sayin'), Verdandil (again, thank you for the French and for being an awesome reviewer!) and pi. on. a. skateboard, and of course love to all you out there who read this fic :) **

**I promised fluff, and there is definately fluff, but my mind got away with me and so there is a point or two of angsty kind of stuff. But mostly fluff!**

* * *

><p><span>Building This Family Of Ours<span>

**Christmas is fast approaching and it's time to find presents for everyone. Blaine's having a bit of a difficult time finding something perfect for Kurt. Featuring secrets, singing, the many sides of Santana, some family time, a dash of Warblers and a rather interesting present...**

The snow was piled up outside, the air was cold and still, even in the halls, and everywhere you looked there was not a single person that wasn't rugged up and complaining about the cold. Red and green was everywhere, along with snowflakes and chatter about presents and boring old relatives.

Christmas was on the way.

And really, Mercedes thought as she walked down the cold, slippery corridor towards glee practice with Blaine and Kurt, it was going to be a pretty good Christmas. Karofsky was gone. Rachel and Blaine weren't at each other's throats over Kurt. Finn and the boys had rejoined the team, much to Bieste's relief. Azimio had backed off. All in all, it seemed like it was going to be a fantastic Christmas with both families – their real ones and the one they'd all adopted.

She glanced over at the two boys, smiling slightly at how they were holding hands and talking quietly to each other in French, Kurt giggling. She was jealous of them, if she was honest with herself. She was jealous of how Blaine was the one who'd managed to get Kurt to open up more than anyone else. She was jealous of how in love they were. She was jealous of how neither of them hid who they were or their relationship, even though in McKinley it was all but a death sentence for them. Although, she thought with a secret smile to herself, she didn't really have to be jealous. She had someone who was just as much in love with her as she was in love with him. The only little hitch was that they were still hiding that relationship from everyone else. Sam wasn't ready to let Quinn know he was with someone else, especially when she was still fuming over losing him to a simple duet. Mercedes could imagine how angry she'd be when she found out that the duet had been what started the spark that flickered into what they had now.

Yes, it was probably better if Quinn didn't know.

She walked into the choir room with Blaine and Kurt behind her, seeing everyone else was already there. She looked away from Rachel – ever the fashion disaster, Mercedes couldn't even stand to glance at the pink and white ensemble she was wearing. Even Kurt shook his head at her surreptitiously. Instead she waved at Sam and Finn (though of course, Finn didn't have to know she was really only waving to Sam), and went to go sit with Tina and Brittany. Santana was on the other side of the blonde and the two cheerleaders were chatting about Christmas.

"I can't wait until Santa comes," Brittany was saying, and Mercedes shook her head.

"When is Mr Schue going to get here?" Quinn complained "It's freezing and I have better things to be doing."

"Well, before he does turn up," Rachel said and everyone groaned inwardly, wondering what the pint-sized diva had to say.

She moved to the piano and picked up the hat that was sitting there, that had had Mike interested and trying to peer inside. The girl slapped his hand away and looked to the rest of the glee club.

"Since it will be Christmas soon, and we're a family now," she glanced at the Cheerios pointedly, who ignored her "I had the thought that we should do a Secret Santa."

"That's actually a really good idea," Artie agreed and Rachel smiled.

"I have in here everyone's names. You can all come and pick a name out of the hat. If it's your name, put it back. If it's someone already in your family, put it back," she gestured to Finn, Kurt and Blaine. Mercedes glanced at the boys. Finn had slumped down in a seat next to Kurt, who in turn was beside Blaine and still holding his hand. Blaine himself was smiling to himself as Rachel waved her arm in his general direction, and Mercedes couldn't stop the little satisfied smile appearing on her own face. Blaine really was part of the family, both New Directions and Hummel-Hudson's.

She turned her attention back to the rest of the room to see Artie rolling up to Rachel and reaching into the hat. He glanced at the slip of paper he pulled out and shrugged, moving back as more of the New Directions went to collect their names. Mercedes got up, following her friends towards Rachel. By the time she reached the girl, most of the others had already chosen. Some were looking happy with their selection, some rather annoyed (in the case of Santana and Puck. Mercedes wasn't sure she wanted to know who they'd chosen). She dipped her hand in, pulling out a name.

_Kurt_

She shook her head. Kurt was basically her family, and she said so as she put the paper back and chose another.

_Rachel_

Well, there was no way she could back out of this one. She was going to have an interesting time finding something for the girl – maybe something to offset the atrocious state of her wardrobe. _Anything_ would probably help. She stood back as Tina, Blaine and Sam fished out three of the remaining four names. Rachel took the last, raising and eyebrow but revealing nothing about who she'd chosen. No one else was saying anything either – no matter how hard Mercedes tried, she couldn't even get Tina to tell her who she was buying for. It looked like it was going to be a mystery for the next week until Christmas finally rolled around.

She wandered over to Kurt and Blaine, neither of which revealing anything about whether they even liked or disliked who they'd chosen.

"Shopping after school?" she asked.

Kurt laughed and nodded. Blaine smiled and agreed, "I'm going to need some help with mine. Care to assist?"

Mercedes grinned. Oh, this was going to be one fun shopping trip.

* * *

><p>"Oh, Tina's <em>easy <em>to buy for," Mercedes said with a dismissive wave as Blaine did his best to keep up with her and Kurt "She's into Florence and The Machine at the moment. She's been trying to get their latest CD for ages."

"Well, that's my Secret Santa sorted then," Blaine chuckled "Who are you buying for?"

"Rachel," she sighed, getting a sympathetic look from both Kurt and Blaine "What about you, Kurt?"

"Artie," he said quietly with a shrug.

Christmas shopping seemed to be relatively easy, despite the masses of people all trying to pick up presents for others. The three caught sight of Brittany and Santana, as well as Mike and Sam getting a head-start with Artie. They had to duck into one of the nearby shops to avoid being seen by Kurt's Secret Santa, laughing breathlessly once the three boys were gone. In the end, Blaine ended up with the CD Mercedes had recommended, Kurt had bought the most _gorgeous_ scarf Mercedes had ever seen for Artie, and she herself had managed to find a jacket and dress for Rachel that wouldn't make her look like a toddler. All in all, she thought, a rather successful day.

Mostly.

"How long have you and Sam been going out?"

Mercedes jumped at the question, glancing at Blaine in surprise. The boy simply smiled and shrugged, saying nothing as he waited for her to reply. She waited for a moment, wondering whether to deny it, but then realised two things – one, she'd already hesitated far too long in answering and two, there was no point. Blaine and Kurt obviously already knew, if the sneaky smirks they were shooting each other were any indication. And they were two of her best friends.

"Alright," she sighed with a smile "Not long after Sectionals."

"And you didn't mention this because…?" Blaine chuckled.

Mercedes rolled her eyes, "Because this is _exactly _the reaction I would get. Plus, Quinn will blow her top if she finds out."

Blaine shrugged, nodding. But Kurt shook his head with an exasperated sigh. He stopped, hands on his hips and making the other two stop and look at him with amused smiles.

"Qu'importe ce qu'elle pense?" he said "Elle l'a quitté. Tu mérites d'être heureuse, Mercedes."  
><em><br>Who cares what she thinks? She left him. You deserve to be happy, Mercedes.  
><em>  
>Mercedes laughed, putting a hand on her best friend's shoulder, "I suppose you're right, Kurt. But it's up to Sam, too. He has to be ready too."<p>

"Il devrait se dépêcher," was Kurt's mock-annoyed reply.

_He should hurry up._

Both Mercedes and Blaine laughed at that, not noticing that creeping up behind them, stealthy and secretive, were a small group of boys that would have been instantly recognised had Blaine turned around.

As it were, they managed to sneak up on the three, one of the boys grabbing Blaine from behind in a massive hug. The ex-Warbler yelped in surprise, fighting for a moment until he realised who it was. Then, as he was put down, he shook his head and laughed.

"You guys are _insane_."

The five boys grinned, two high fiving each other with a manic laugh.

"That's what we're good at," Thad chuckled.

Wes and David, recovered from their giggle-fit (though if you asked them, the word _giggle _most certainly did not apply. Maybe evil cackling), swooped on their friend and enveloped him in a mass of Warblers.

"We missed you!" David grinned.

Wes poked Blaine in the shoulder, "Yes, we did. You should at least call more often."

"Alright, I should call more and yes, I missed you too. Can you get off me now?" Blaine laughed breathlessly, having had the air knocked out of him by his two overeager friends. They backed off a few steps, still smirking.

"Good to see you again," Nick said from further back, Jeff agreeing.

Blaine shook his head, "What are you even doing here?"

Thad answered, "A little bird by the name of Santana Lopez happened to spill your location to Liam. By the way, the rest of the guys say hi."

There was a cough from behind the Warbler boys and they shifted so they and Blaine could see Kurt and Mercedes in almost identical stances – arms folded, one eyebrow raised, looking at Blaine rather pointedly.

"Oh, right," Blaine said "Guys, you all know Kurt, and this is Mercedes."

Wes instantly flushed a deep red when he recognised Mercedes and hid behind David. The others rolled their eyes at their friend before introducing themselves. Mercedes nodded and smiled at each one, waving to Wes with a laugh when David introduced him as 'the random guy hiding behind me'. Wes waved back with wide eyes, managing a smile.

"So you're Christmas shopping?" Jeff asked, trying to sneak a look into Blaine's bags – which were actually his, Mercedes's and Kurt's that he was carrying for them – until he snatched them away.

"Yes," he said "But not for you."

The boys stared at him in mock-horror, David faking a faint, "What? How could you? I thought you loved us!"

Blaine continued to chat with David and Wes, letting the other three charm the New Directions members. And charm them they did. Mercedes was laughing at Jeff and Nick's stories of Warbler insanity and the many stories they had to tell of Blaine and his time at Dalton. Meanwhile, Thad tried to strike up some sort of conversation with Kurt. The autistic boy was shy, as usual, but doing his best to keep up with Thad in broken, hesitant English.

"You looking forward to Christmas?"

Kurt nodded, wringing his hands and looking nervous. Blaine noticed and moved to stand by him and still talk to his friends. But before he could get there, before Mercedes could help him, someone in the growing crowd of Christmas shoppers all trying to get somewhere fast ran into Thad. The woman disappeared quickly with a brief apology but the damage was already done. Thad stumbled and, unable to stop himself, fell into Kurt. And Kurt, already tense and nervous, couldn't handle the sudden contact from a person he barely knew. He dropped to his knees, shaking violently. Blaine reached him in time to grab him as he started to scream.

It was the worst place for Kurt to have a fit. They were boxed in by all the Christmas shoppers who were too busy thinking about themselves to get out of the way. Jeff helped stabilise Thad, who was apologising profusely and standing back, in shock and not quite sure what to do. None of the Warblers were. Blaine held Kurt's arms to his sides, pleading quietly with him though he knew that even if Kurt could hear him it would mean nothing.

"Kurt, please, come on, baby can you hear me? I'm right here, you're okay, I promise. No one's going to hurt you."

Mercedes was ordering the Dalton boys around, telling them in no uncertain terms to clear a path for them to get Kurt out else they would be on the receiving end of her fury. Stunned, the boys shoved their way through the crowd, pushing people aside as they glanced back at Blaine and Mercedes. Kurt was sobbing, screaming, kicking violently as he tried to escape Blaine's grip. Mercedes managed to pull the pair to their feet and start guiding them out of the crowded area to somewhere more open. As Blaine did his best to drag Kurt through the small passageway his friends had created (and really, they were quite good at it. They were as talented at crowd control as Puck or Santana) he lost his grip and Kurt hit the floor. Blaine scrambled to get back to him, pulling him back up and through the masses.

Sooner than they thought, they managed to break through the thick of the crowd and into a more open space. People were staring still, some with raised eyebrows or disgust, some with genuine concern but too afraid to go any closer. Blaine fell to the ground under the weight of a still-flailing Kurt, unable to hold on anymore. His arms slipped again and Mercedes jumped in quickly to calm her best friend.

"Kurt, you hear me? I'm here, you're alright now. It's 'Cedes, Kurt, you're safe, you're with friends."

It took another five minutes of panicked pleas from Mercedes and Blaine before Kurt even began to calm down. Meanwhile the Dalton boys stood back with nothing to do but watch and hope Kurt would be okay. Finally, when Kurt wasn't fighting anymore and was just sitting curled up in Blaine's arms, sobbing his boyfriend's name out in choked breaths, the boys spoke.

"Is he okay?" David asked tentatively.

Blaine was too busy talking quietly to Kurt to answer, so it was Mercedes who sighed, "He will be."

"I had no idea it was that… bad," Nick said quietly.

"I can't believe they all just walked past," Jeff said, glancing back at the other people who were moving off, turning away.

"It happens all the time," Mercedes said "We're used to it."

"I am _so_ sorry," Thad was still apologising, white as a sheet and trembling slightly. Wes put an arm around his shoulders as the New Directions girl spoke, "It wasn't your fault. You couldn't have avoided it."

"Kurt?"

The boys and girl turned when they heard the rather loud voice shouting. They saw Santana storming towards them, Brittany following behind with worry on her face.

"What did you do?" Santana demanded, getting right into Thad's face the second she _smelled _the fear rolling off of him, like a shark to blood, "I tell you where they are and then you go and hurt him? Last time I date one of you prep school boys! Liam can get screwed if he thinks-"

Thad looked utterly terrified and Mercedes had to pull Santana away, telling her, "It wasn't his fault. Someone pushed him into Kurt accidentally."

Santana jutted her chin out, glaring at Thad a moment longer before swinging her gaze around to encompass the rest of the Warblers. Then she turned to Kurt, sitting beside Brittany as the blonde patted the shaking boy's shoulder comfortingly.

At that moment Sam, Mike and Artie showed up, also having heard Kurt's screaming. Questions flew, answered mostly by the exhausted Mercedes. Sam stood by her, Mike and Artie helping the cheerleaders in getting Kurt and Blaine to their feet.

"I'm going to get Kurt home," Blaine said, shooting his friends an apologetic look "I'm sorry, I-"

Jeff shook his head, "Don't worry, do what you have to."

Blaine nodded, slowly walking a trembling Kurt, tears subsiding, away from them. Artie and Mike followed, walking (or in Artie's case, wheeling) on either side to keep others at a safe distance.

"I should go with them," Mercedes said, moving to follow the four boys. But Sam stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm.

"Where you need to go is home," he said "Did you drive here?"

Mercedes nodded distractedly. Sam started to lead her away.

"I'll drive you home. Come on."

And then they were gone, swallowed up by the crowds of people. The Dalton boys were left with Santana and Brittany, the former of which still staring at them like she wanted to cut them to ribbons.

"Maybe we'll see you later," Santana said, taking Brittany's hand and walking away. The blonde waved goodbye to the boys with a smile before they two disappeared.

"Well that was… terrifying," Nick muttered under his breath.

All he got were four nods in return.

* * *

><p>"It's okay, I'll get him home," Blaine said as he shut the passenger side door, glancing back at Mike and Artie. They nodded but waited until Blaine was in the driver's seat of his car (thank God for Puck. Not that he would ever condone car stealing. Though technically it wasn't stealing, right? Puck had just picked up his car) and had pulled out of the parking lot. Blaine watched them walk away in the mirror until they were out of sight.<p>

The drive would only take a few minutes, he knew, but he drove as slowly as he could. He didn't want Finn or the rest of his family to freak out when they saw Kurt – though he knew they would, regardless. He glanced over at Kurt, and bit his lip when he saw his boyfriend resting his head against the window, curled up and hugging himself tightly, mumbling to himself in French to calm himself down.

"Kurt?"

Kurt looked up, fixing Blaine with his pale blue gaze, shining with the few tears left to shed. Blaine swallowed painfully, smiling at him. Kurt managed a small smile in return before it fell. Blaine returned his gaze to the road, watching the icy surface disappear under the car.

"You want to put some music on?" he asked, knowing that at the very least it might make Kurt feel more comfortable. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kurt reach for the radio and turn it on, idly playing with the controls until the music of the opening of a familiar song played through the speakers. Blaine looked over as Kurt smiled and sang softly under his breath. And he loved the look of surprise on Kurt's face when he joined in.

_I really can't stay - But baby it's cold outside  
>I've got to go away - But baby it's cold outside<br>This evening has been - Been hoping that you'd drop in  
>So very nice - I'll hold your hands, they're just like ice<em>

Kurt laughed quietly as Blaine took one hand off the steering wheel to hold Kurt's – and they were like ice, freezing cold. He rubbed his thumb over the back of Kurt's hand, feeling him shiver but not pull away. He drove a little slower to compensate (and if that meant a longer drive with Kurt then hey, he wasn't complaining).

_My mother will start to worry - Beautiful, what's your hurry?  
>My father will be pacing the floor - Listen to the fireplace roar<br>So really I'd better scurry - Beautiful, please don't hurry  
>Well maybe just a half a drink more - Put some records on while I pour<em>

With his free hand Kurt turned the volume of the music up, letting his voice rise from a soft whisper. Blaine chuckled, his own voice matching Kurt's perfectly as if they were made for each other – not that he believed in that type of stuff…

_The neighbours might faint - Baby, it's bad out there  
>Say, what's in this drink? - No cabs to be had out there<br>I wish I knew how - Your eyes are like starlight  
>To break the spell - I'll take your hat, your hair looks swell<br>I ought to say no, no, no, sir - Mind if I move in closer?  
>At least I'm gonna say that I tried - What's the sense in hurting my pride?<br>I really can't stay - Baby don't hold out  
>Oh, but it's cold outside<em>

Blaine had the feeling this was going to very quickly become his favourite Christmas song. Kurt seemed to have forgotten the previous events as he sang with such a beautiful smile on his face, and Blaine marvelled at how freaking _perfect_ he was. He was insecure and afraid – every teenager was – but he didn't let it faze him. He didn't let his autism get in the way of what he wanted to do and he didn't let the bullies get in the way of who he wanted to be with. Blaine looked up to him for that. He was proud of him for his strength in the face of the world.

_I simply must go - But baby, it's cold outside  
>The answer is no - But baby, it's cold outside<br>This welcome has been - How lucky that you dropped in  
>So nice and warm - Look out the window at that storm<br>My sister will be suspicious - Gosh, your lips look delicious  
>My brother will be there at the door - Waves upon a tropical shore<br>My maiden aunt's mind is vicious - Ooh your lips are delicious  
>Well maybe just a cigarette more - Never such a blizzard before<em>

Kurt looked a little hesitant as Blaine sang his lines, and the ex-Warbler smiled at him as a gentle reminder that it was just a song. Despite the fact that over the past few weeks Blaine had been thinking increasingly that _yes, Kurt's lips _do_ look delicious_. But there was no way he was going to try anything with Kurt if he wasn't comfortable with it, and he certainly wasn't comfortable with anything more than a hug or holding hands. Even touching his face had had Blaine being pushed away.

_I've got to get home - But, baby, you'd freeze out there  
>Say, lend me your coat - It's up to your knees out there<br>You've really been grand – I'm thrilled when you touch my hand  
>But don't you see - How can you do this thing to me?<br>There's bound to be talk tomorrow - Think of my life long sorrow  
>At least there will be plenty implied - If you got pneumonia and died<br>I really can't stay - Get over that hold out  
>Ohhh, baby it's cold outside<em>

As the song ended the pair laughed, both having forgotten the incident almost entirely. Blaine pulled into the driveway of the Hummel-Hudsons, shutting off the engine and getting out. He ran to Kurt's side and opened his door, both of them still laughing. Grabbing their bags from the backseat (kindly put there by Mike else they would have been left behind) the pair made their way to the house, holding hands and chuckling to themselves. Finn stood in the doorway, phone in hand.

"Are you okay, Kurt?" he asked "Artie texted me and told me what happened."

Kurt nodded, grinning like a madman and Blaine wasn't too much better. Finn stepped aside to let the two enter and he watched them disappear into the house.

Finn shook his head. He just didn't get those two.

* * *

><p>Of all the people Santana expected to ask her for a favour, Blaine Anderson, New Directions' resident hobbit with the Schuester hair, was not even on her list.<p>

Now, most other people she could expect. Quinn often asked for favours (not that she ever gave them). Brittany, obviously. Mercedes was someone she never thought she'd ever be friends with but she knew she would always be able to help Mercedes out – if it had to do with Kurt, that is. Kurt was special. Kurt was one of two people that had broken through her outer shell of 'Cheerios bitch'. Brittany was the other but that didn't really need to be said. Santana couldn't understand how someone could hate Kurt. And she knew he was lucky to have her, Coach Sylvester, and the Cheerios as a backup for when New Directions couldn't solve whatever the problem might be.

But that was off topic.

It was Blaine Anderson that came running up to her and Brittany after glee practice, the day after Kurt's 'little' fit. She was tempted to ignore him – it would kind of be funny to see him looking so rejected – but she didn't. She turned, Brittany doing the same as Blaine stopped in front of them.

"What do you want?" Santana asked.

"I need your help."

Now that was interesting. Santana raised an eyebrow and folded her arms, giving Blaine an incredulous look, "You need _my _help?"

"Both of you," Blaine said, glancing at Brittany "It's about Kurt."

The cheerleaders were certainly intrigued as to why exactly Blaine would want their help, and what it had to do with Kurt. Blaine waited a moment to be sure they wanted him to continue before explaining what he needed.

"I have to get Kurt something for Christmas. Well, Kurt and Finn actually, but that's not the point."

"Well, I can help you with Finn," Santana snorted "He's my Secret Santa. As long as it's Xbox and you can kill zombies or whatever, he'll be happy. But why not ask Mercedes for help with Kurt?"

She was genuinely curious as to why Blaine would come to her and Brittany for help. He'd made no move to get to know them any better when he'd transferred and they'd rarely talked before that. Their interaction was limited to brief moments in the corridors (_"Hi" "Whatever"_), in the cafeteria (_"I hate the damn snow. It's too cold" "It's supposed to be cold. It's winter, Santana"_) and in glee practice (_"You. Me. Duet. We'll win Regionals for sure" "I think I'll let you guys fight it out, thanks"_). Now he wanted her help?

"I would ask Mercedes, but she's still a little twitchy from yesterday," Blaine said "And Finn's taking Kurt home tonight, so it's kind of a good opportunity…"

"You're lucky we're free," Santana smiled smugly "By the end of the day you will have what you need for Kurt."

Brittany agreed to go with them and as the three headed out to the parking lot, Santana decided she didn't really need to mention that she had already really wanted to do it when he'd mentioned Kurt.

Damn that kid.

* * *

><p>Christmas.<p>

Well, not exactly Christmas. That was tomorrow. But it was the day that New Directions met up to swap Secret Santa presents and rant about how amazing the next day was going to be. Tina was excited for tomorrow – for more reasons than one. Sure, she'd be spending the day with both her family and Mike. But there was something else she was looking forward too.

"Okay, so who's going first?" Sam asked.

Everyone had gathered at Mercedes's house to hand out the presents and they were all scattered around her room. Mercedes, Sam, Kurt, Blaine and Tina all somehow managed to fit on the diva's bed, Artie was sat beside them and Puck was lounging on the floor lazily. Finn and Rachel were talking quietly between themselves in their own little corner and Quinn was glaring at them from across the room, switching her gaze from Finn to Sam and back again alternately. Santana and Brittany were unbothered by any of the tension and Mike was on the floor leaning against the bed. No one answered Sam's question for a moment until finally Artie spoke up.

"I'll go. My Secret Santa was Quinn."

Quinn was sat close by to him, so he passed the present over. The blonde moved it from hand to hand for a moment before getting her own wrapped present out of her bag.

"This is for Santana."

She tossed it over and the Latina caught it perfectly, fishing out her own rectangular gift and one-handedly throwing it to Finn as she called his name. Finn fumbled and managed to catch it without hitting Rachel in the face (which was a miracle considering the way he was flailing his arms around). Carefully he got his own present out and threw it gently to Brittany. The blonde smiled and squeezed the hastily-wrapped object for a moment before getting up and giving Sam his own present. He smiled at her, thanking her.

"My Secret Santa was Mike," he said, tossing the gift over Tina's head to reach her boyfriend. He caught it easily and threw his own to Puck, calling out his name. Tina watched, seeing Puck almost asleep from boredom and wondered if it'd hit him on the head. It looked rather sharp and pointy. But somehow Puck reached up with one hand, eyes still closed, and caught the flying object before throwing something back in the general direction.

"Mercedes."

It almost hit Blaine in the head but he managed to catch it and give it to the girl. She nodded to him, rolling her eyes at Puck before handing something to Rachel. The girl raised an eyebrow before passing a present to Mercedes, saying, "Blaine was my Secret Santa."

Tina chuckled at the look on Blaine's face as he took the present. He handled it carefully, as if it might explode at any moment (the same way Mercedes was holding her present from Puck, and it was a fair enough reaction she thought). She smiled as Blaine passed her a square-shaped wrapped gift with a wink. It was her turn. She looked at Kurt, grinning widely as she thought about what she was going to give him.

"Kurt, you're my Secret Santa," she said, and saw the way his eyes lit up "But you have to wait until tomorrow for my present."

His face fell but he nodded, still intrigued. He gave Artie his own present, saying his name quietly. The wheelchair-bound boy nodded and thanked Kurt, looking at Tina curiously. But she was keeping her lips sealed. At least until tomorrow. They'd know all about it tomorrow.

As everyone opened their presents (_"Hey, thanks Santana! I've been trying to get this one for ages!" "Wow… thanks Puck. Strangely enough, I actually like cherry lipstick. I'm just not going to think about why you bought it for me" "Kurt, this is awesome!" "Why Mercedes, thank you so much" "Um… thanks Rachel. Now I can listen to your voice whenever I want" "You got this game so you could come around and play it too, right Mike?" "Thank you Finn! He's such a pretty unicorn"_) Tina shared a glance with Blaine, both as thanks for the CD and as a reminder that tomorrow was going to be the _best ever_. For everyone, but most especially Kurt. She caught Finn's eye as he looked over and he nodded, a smirk on his face.

Oh yes. Kurt was going to _love_ his present.

* * *

><p>Blaine could remember every Christmas he'd ever had since age five. And every single time it had never felt right. His parents had either not been there (when he was seven and nine, he remembered clearly) or been distant, never really engaging with him and never even trying to enjoy the day. Blaine usually spent most of Christmas alone, playing with the numerous toys and other presents he was given by his parents to make up for the fact that honestly, they didn't really <em>care<em>. He used to look forward to Christmas, but after four years in a row of that day spent either alone or with bored parents, Blaine decided it wasn't really worth it. And so Christmas had started to lose its spark. And when he'd been sent to St Dominic's, he'd lost so much of himself that when he'd been transferred to Dalton it had taken so long for him to open up again and learn to have fun again. But despite the friends he made with the Warblers and other students, Christmas was still always spent alone.

Now everything had changed.

He sat back as the family that had taken him in enjoyed each other's company, passing presents around to each other, smiling, laughing. Kurt was happy, arms wrapped around his legs as he sat next to Finn and chatted with his brother in disjointed English and French when it became too difficult. Blaine smiled to himself, watching as Finn unwrapped his Xbox game from Blaine and new clothes from his mother. Kurt had already opened his presents – he was excited about finally being able to watch Burlesque and Finn had gotten him a framed photo of New Directions at Sectionals (Blaine sensed an input from Mercedes at the very least).

He was shaken out of his thoughts by Burt calling his name.

"Come over here," he said, gesturing for Blaine to come closer.

He did so, shuffling over to sit by Kurt, who smiled at him. Blaine was distracted momentarily but he looked back when Burt spoke again.

"Now, we, or rather I, got you something…"

"No, you shouldn't have…" Blaine shook his head but Burt was just as insistent.

"Don't you start telling me what I should and shouldn't do," he said, only half-serious "You're part of the family now."

And that one sentence made Blaine grin like an idiot. A dizzying feeling flashed through him, his stomach fluttered and he felt like laughing. _You're part of the family now._No one could ever know how much that meant to him. Burt raised an eyebrow but said nothing about it. What he did say made Blaine's feeling of elation twice as powerful.

"We know you've been looking for a job." That was true. Blaine didn't want Burt and Carole paying for him any longer than they had to. He hadn't minded so much with his parents – his mother was more than willing to throw money around if they thought it would further his career and his father just wanted him to get through school. Plus, they had far too much money than was strictly necessary. Also, Blaine wanted to show that he could do this – work, school, the whole thing. He wanted to prove that he was capable.

"And I heard you know a little about cars." That was also true. When he'd come out to his parents (awkwardly, he might add, at thirteen with no idea how they would react) his father had decided cars was the best way to go about 'straightening' him out – pun intended.

"So I thought I'd offer you a job at the garage."

Blaine stared, a mixture of emotions whirling through him – excitement, shock, joy, confusion. Burt chuckled as Blaine stammered out a reply.

"Y-you don't have to do that, I can find something…"

"Do you want the job?"

Blaine nodded, "Yes. Thank you."

"Don't worry about it kiddo."

And Blaine got that warm, funny feeling in his stomach and it felt good. It was something he hadn't felt in a long time. It was the feeling that he _had_ a family and there were other people out there who accepted him without question. He noticed Finn was looking at him with a grin and nodding his head to Kurt and he shook his head with a smile. Finn was probably more excited about Kurt's present than anyone else. Blaine turned to his boyfriend and Kurt smiled at him, curiosity shining in his eyes. Blaine's present to Kurt was the last surprise left.

"Kurt, if you want your present, you're going to have to come with me," he said, standing up and holding out his hand. Kurt took it and pulled himself to his feet, looking at Blaine with even more curiosity.

"Can I come?" Finn burst out excitedly and everyone laughed.

"I suppose," Blaine grinned.

Carole shook her head, "We're trusting you boys to be _sensible_, okay?"

"Promise," Blaine and Finn said at the same time, making Kurt giggle under his breath.

Before he knew it, Blaine was outside, in the car, starting the engine, Kurt in the passenger seat and Finn in the back. Then he was driving down the road, chewing his lip in anticipation. He hoped Kurt liked his present. He couldn't think of anything better. Santana and Brittany had agreed (though the blonde would probably agree to anything) and so had Kurt's entire family. Tina had been more than excited, begging to be there when Kurt received his gift. It would be part of her Secret Santa to him. Blaine just hoped it all went well.

When he pulled into the parking lot of the place they were going to, Kurt's confused expression lifted and became one of utter excitement and joy. He squealed, jumping out of the car and running to where Tina was already waiting by the front door of the building. She laughed at Kurt as he bounced on the balls of his feet, yelling at Blaine and Finn to hurry up. The two boys made their way as quickly as they could towards Kurt and Tina, unable to keep the smiles off their faces.

"Come on," Blaine said, taking Kurt's hand and leading him inside.

The noise was deafening and Kurt pressed his free hand to his ear, looking a little uncomfortable but too happy to care much. The woman at the desk smiled when she saw the four teenagers enter.

"I was wondering when you would show up," she said, getting up and moving towards the door to her right "Come on, this way."

The McKinley kids followed eagerly, Kurt staring the moment he got through the door. He seemed overwhelmed for a moment and Blaine nudged him gently to remind him that he was there. Then Kurt squealed again.

"Es-tu sérieux? Es-tu_ sérieux_?" Kurt was almost jumping up and down "Sais-tu depuis combien de temps je veux un chiot?"

_Are you serious? Are you _serious_? Do you have any idea how long I've wanted a puppy?_

Blaine chuckled, quiet under the yapping and barking of the many puppies and dogs of the shelter. The woman gestured to the dogs, telling them to go ahead. Kurt ran to one of the pens, Blaine in tow. He recalled the conversation he'd had with Kurt's family over the issue of getting a puppy for Kurt for Christmas. Initially they'd been hesitant about giving a puppy as a present, but when they'd realised how it could be beneficial for Kurt they begun to agree. Of course, Finn had agreed on one fact alone – he wanted a puppy as much as Kurt. Carole and Burt had had two conditions – it had to be something that wouldn't hurt Kurt, and all three boys would be put in charge of caring for it, though primary care would go to Kurt. After that, it was an easy deal.

"Ils sont tellement mignons."

_They're so cute._

"I know," Blaine smiled "And one of them is going to be all yours."

"Hey, we're sharing, right?" Finn protested, making Kurt laugh and nod "Bien sûr, Finn."

_Of course, Finn_.

Kurt reached in to pat one of the small puppies, abandoned by God knew who. Blaine couldn't understand how anyone could not want something as adorable and gorgeous and loving as a dog. A black-and-white ball of fluff tottered over, licking Kurt's hand eagerly. By that time the others in the pen had realised there was someone there and had run over, bowling each other over to be the first to Kurt's hand. Some were still puppies, others a little older. There were only two pens – the one with the younger dogs and one with older, more adult dogs. Kurt glanced in each one, trying to find which one he wanted. But it was a difficult task – and Finn and Tina weren't helping.

"What about that one?" Finn pointed to the big-pawed scruffy mutt in the back corner, watching what was going on intently. Kurt shook his head.

"This one's cute," Tina said, patting the head of a tiny dog in the second pen, a mass of white fur and chocolate eyes. Kurt paused for a moment then shook his head again.

"Je n'arrive pas à choisir!"

_I can't choose!_

But just as he spoke he noticed one puppy hiding in amongst the others, playfully leaping up at the pen wall, tongue hanging out as its tail whipped around in excitement. Kurt reached down, patting the black dog on the head. It tilted its head so Kurt could scratch its neck, barking once.

"She came in a few days ago," the woman said from the back wall "An early Christmas present that was too energetic for a two year old. She's got a really good nature, just bouncy."

"What breed is she?" Blaine said, afraid of getting a huge dog that would destroy everything.

"I think she's mostly Labrador, with some Border Collie or something else in her."

Kurt was busy playing with the puppy, which licked his hand and rubbed her head against his arm insistently. Blaine raised an eyebrow in Finn's direction, but he was too caught up in reaching down to pat the dog as well. Tina nodded, grinning as she gave the thumbs up.

"So Kurt," Blaine said slowly "What do you think?"

Kurt stood up with the _biggest _grin on his face and nodded so fast Blaine thought his head was going to fall off.

"Je veux celle-là. Elle est vraiment jolie."

_I want this one. She's beautiful._

Blaine smiled, "Merry Christmas then, Kurt."

* * *

><p>Sooner than they all thought, the four teenagers found themselves on the outside of the animal shelter in the snow with one black, cold puppy. She barked, running around on the leash Tina had paid for – along with the collar and diamante letters on said collar that spelled out the dog's new name. Kurt had been very definite on that point, no matter how much Finn had argued. In the end Finn had just agreed, not really bothered and just happy about the fact that Kurt was happy. More than happy, in fact. He was ecstatic, and he hugged Blaine with a breathless laugh.<p>

"Merci. Je t'aime."

"I love you too," Blaine smiled, pulling away "I think we should get in the car – Belle's freezing!"

Kurt laughed, pausing to grab his phone and snap a picture of the excitable puppy that was currently jumping up at Finn, barking happily.

Tina waved good bye, saying she had plans with Mike and her family but she wished them a merry Christmas and fun with Belle. Once she'd driven off the boys and Belle piled into Blaine's car, Kurt taking the backseat this time to sit with his new puppy. She started to calm down, obviously tiring, and slumped into a pile on Kurt's lap, a heap of legs and tail and head.

And then Kurt's phone began to ring. Blaine chuckled as he pulled out and listened to Kurt answer the phone call that was clearly a response to the photo being sent to probably every New Directions member. He could hear the person on the other end and both he and Finn shared a look before laughing.

"_Kurt! You had so better not be busy tomorrow,"_ Mercedes's voice echoed _"Because I am coming over. And I have the feeling everyone else will be too. Be prepared!"_

"Welcome to the family, Belle," Blaine said quietly with a smile.

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you liked? <strong>

**I wasn't even going to put the Warblers in this one, but then my mind got away from me - it has a habit of doing that...**

**Next: Snow. New Directions. Warblers. Puppy. Need I say more?**


	11. Cold Snap

**I'm right in the middle of my exams right now, and I've got another (final!) set after these ones. So I won't be updating any of my stories until they are over (mid/late November). I want to focus on them and make sure I pass, seeing as they are fairly important to the rest of my life :)**

**Shout outs to IttleBitz, MyPartnerInCrime, Verdandil (Thank you for the help again :D), Chuckles. Is. Me and NessySchu - but everyone is amazing and I love you all :)**

**Oh, and I've heard that Glee is going to do Last Friday Night? :D I was planning on putting that song in this fic too...**

**November 8th XD**

* * *

><p><span>Cold Snap<span>

**It's time for two glee clubs to get together and just relax on a cold, snowy winter's day. Featuring the loveable Belle, some just-as-loveable Warblers, insecure Wes, plotting Quinn, sneaky Klaine and a particularly special hug... **

Blaine loved winter.

He loved summer as well, of course – being able to go out with friends, hang out, go swimming and all that other stuff that came with the season. But winter was fun for all different reasons. It was cold, meaning you could spend more time inside doing nothing. You could rug up and sit in front of a heater or fire and keep warm. You could snuggle up with someone like penguins. Or you could go outside and have fun in the snow, especially with friends. There were endless possibilities.

Or you could just have the worst luck and get sick.

When Blaine came down to breakfast that morning, he noticed Kurt wasn't there again. He sighed with a slight smile, sliding into a chair beside Finn (who had already devoured half of what had been cooked up in about ten minutes). Across the table were Burt and Carole, who smiled at him when he entered.

"Sleep okay?" Carole asked.

Blaine nodded, "Yeah. Kurt still in hiding?"

Burt cracked a smile at that and chuckled to himself, shaking his head, "Oh yeah. He's better than yesterday – he should be fine by tomorrow."

Blaine smiled to himself, laughing internally. He (and Finn, oddly enough, though he hadn't been living with Kurt for a long time) had just found out what happened when Kurt got sick. He'd come down with a cold the day before and spent the entire day hiding in his room, refusing to let anyone in. No one was quite sure why but Burt had been going along with it for sixteen years. Besides, the man had said when Finn had complained that Kurt had locked him out, he would come out if something was really wrong. By now, Blaine was beginning to wonder how Kurt was doing in there.

When they were finished eating, Blaine had a sudden idea. Hoping it would work, he asked, "Do you think I should take something for Kurt to eat?"

Burt shrugged, "He should eat, but he might not come out for it. He never does when I try. You can have a go though."

Blaine understood the subtle meaning behind Burt's words (and Burt was not exactly a subtle man – just like his son). While Kurt might push everyone else away, even his own family, there was a chance that the relationship he and Blaine had built would overcome that. Maybe he would at least open the door, if not come out. Blaine nodded, collecting some food together and heading down the hall. As he did, he felt something brush against his legs. He looked down to see Belle rubbing against his calf, looking up at him with bright eyes. He smiled, letting her follow him as he walked towards Kurt's room. He stopped outside the door and paused for a moment before knocking. Kurt mumbled something unintelligible at the interruption, sounding upset and hoarse.

Blaine rolled his eyes, "Kurt, I've got food. You should eat something."

There was a long moment of silence when Kurt didn't reply.

"Belle wants to see you too," he added.

Another long pause. Blaine wondered if Kurt was getting up or not, and was about to give up and leave when the door cracked open an inch. He saw Kurt eyeing the food through the gap, not having eaten since the day before he fell sick. He seemed to be contemplating the thought of food before opening the door further.

"You feeling okay?" Blaine asked with a small smile.

Kurt frowned, shrugging as he moved aside to let Blaine enter. He slipped inside, Belle following, Kurt closing the door and locking it again. They sat on the boy's bed, and he took the food and began to eat as the puppy sat at his feet, pawing at him insistently. There wasn't much – Blaine knew he didn't tend to eat very much and feeling sick wouldn't help. He ate in silence for a while, Blaine sat beside him until finally the other boy decided to speak.

"You don't look so good."

Kurt glanced up at him as he finished, putting the plate on the bedside table, "Je me sens horrible"  
><em><br>I feel horrible.  
><em>  
>Blaine smiled and took Kurt's hand, "You'll be fine by tomorrow."<p>

The boy nodded and Blaine cheered internally that Kurt seemed to no longer even think about contact. He was pretty sure it had started a little while ago, but after _that_ incident he'd reverted back to flinching every time someone touched him. Now he was back to before, happy and confortable with Blaine's presence and touch.

Kurt sneezed, shaking his head before yawning. He leaned onto Blaine's shoulder, blinking tiredly. The ex-Warbler put his arm around Kurt carefully and resisted the urge to mess with his hair – last time he'd done that Kurt had been the very definition of _mad_.

"If you're tired you should get some sleep," Blaine said.

Kurt nodded, sitting up and crawling under the blankets. Blaine smiled as he pulled them up and made sure his boyfriend was warm enough – it was quite cold, snow covering the ground outside. Belle jumped up onto the bed and before Blaine could tell her off, the black puppy settled down to sleep at the foot of the bed. She curled up, nose tucked away and tail wrapped around herself. Blaine didn't have the heart to move her and Kurt wasn't bothered by her presence.

"Hey Kurt," he started, waiting until the other boy looked at him before continuing "How about we do something with our friends tomorrow? Just go hang out or something."

Kurt smiled at that, "Oui, ce serait amusant. On pourrait amener Belle avec nous."  
><em><br>Yeah, that would be fun. We could bring Belle with us.  
><em>  
>"Great idea," Blaine replied "I'll call them today, see who'll come."<p>

"N'oublie pas tes amis," Kurt said.  
><em><br>Don't forget your friends.  
><em>  
>"My friends?"<p>

Kurt nodded, "Tu ne les as pas vus depuis longtemps. Tu devrais les demander s'ils veulent venir te voir."  
><em><br>You haven't seen them in a long time. You should ask if they want to come see you.  
><em>  
>Blaine smiled. It was true that he'd seen some of his friends at Christmas, but only for a few minutes before he'd had to leave, plus he hadn't seen the bulk of the Warblers for quite a while. He talked to them occasionally but it wasn't the same. And all of them had said they wanted to see him again. It sounded like a good idea, and he told Kurt so. The boy smiled, as did Blaine in return.<p>

"I'll go call them then," he said, moving to go "I'll see you later."

But before he could take a step Kurt's hand shot out and grabbed his arm. He turned back curiously, seeing Kurt's gaze fixed on him.

"Reste?"

The question was obvious. Blaine shook his head.

"I can't. I've got work," he said, knowing Burt was probably waiting for him and Finn so they could head over to the garage. He was determined to prove to the man that he could do the job that he'd generously been given and he wasn't going to screw it up. He couldn't afford to. This was his chance to show everyone that he wasn't totally useless. As much as he wanted to stay with Kurt (and who wouldn't, with that _look _Kurt was giving him?) he knew he couldn't. Kurt sighed, rolling his eyes and Blaine laughed lightly, sitting on the edge of the bed and patting his shoulder.

"I'd stay if I could. You know I would. But you just get some sleep and tomorrow we'll go to the park or something with Belle and everyone else. Sound good?"  
>Kurt nodded, snuggling up further under the blankets. Blaine smiled and stood, grabbing the now-empty plate and walking to the door and unlocking it. He glanced back at Kurt and Belle, both curled up and either asleep or on the way. And then he left, closing the door quietly behind him.<p>

* * *

><p>"So how many are going to come then?" Blaine asked, looking over his shoulder to make sure no one needed his help. Technically he shouldn't to be doing this while he was supposed to be working. But Burt was pretty lax with the rules as long as work got done. And in a spare few minutes, Blaine had decided it would be a good time to organise things with his friends. He'd already called the collective members of New Directions and everyone was on-board. Now it was just up to the Warblers.<p>

He waited as Wes called out the question to the others obviously in the room with him and there was a quiet count of hands. Then Wes came back to the phone.  
><em><br>"Out of the fourteen of us, five can't make it. Various reasons – family, other commitments, babysitting duties, so on. Anyway, that makes nine."_

"I'm glad to see you're no longer failing Math," Blaine said dryly, hearing Wes chuckle on the other end and imagining the head Warbler rolling his eyes.  
><em><br>"I see McKinley has helped your sense of humour," _he shot back.

It was Blaine's turn to chuckle and roll his eyes now as he replied, "Who's coming?"  
><em><br>"Me, David, Thad… Jeff, Nick… Trent, Cameron, Liam and… Mason," _Wes said the names, sounding distracted. Blaine frowned, intrigued.

"What's going on?"  
><em><br>"Guys, give me a second!"_ Wes shouted in exasperation before returning his attention to Blaine _"Sorry, they all want to talk to you. They're trying to steal the ph- for crying out loud! Give that back!"  
><em>  
>When Wes was interrupted there was the sound of a thump and a scrabbling noise as the phone was grabbed. Wes's voice became fainter until a new voice drowned it out.<br>_  
>"Hi Blaine!" <em>Cameron's voice came through cheerfully _"How's things going?"  
><em>  
>Blaine was about to reply through his considerable laughter when he heard Wes shouting again across the line, faint but furious (G<em>ive me my freaking phone back! Cameron, I swear your secret little stash under your bed is going to get sent to your parents if you're not careful! CAMERON!<em>) Finally the phone was passed back with Cameron saying a quick, scared-sounding good bye before Wes was back.  
><em><br>"Sorry about that,"_ he said _"Anyway, we'll see you tomorrow?"  
><em>  
>Blaine gave him the directions to where they would all meet up, telling him to be there about nine thirty. Quickly they said their good byes and Blaine hung up just as Burt called out to him.<p>

"Blaine, little help over here?"

Blaine pocketed the phone and ran over to help.

* * *

><p>Just as they'd said, Kurt was fine when he woke the next morning – proven by the fact he came out of his room for the first time in two days. When he joined the rest of the family at the table for breakfast it set knowing smiles off on everyone, especially Blaine. The whole family chatted throughout the meal, Blaine feeling more at home than he ever had before. These were people that didn't really know him very well, but had let him into the home, let him close to their boy, trusted him and most of all, believed in him. He couldn't say the same for anyone else.<p>

Once breakfast was over it was quarter past nine already and the boys had to run to get ready. Within ten minutes Blaine and Kurt were at the door, the latter hooking a leash onto the excitable puppy's collar. A moment later Finn came down the hall, tugging his coat on.

"You're all warm enough?" Carole asked, watching the boys go.

They all nodded, Kurt a little preoccupied as he tried to keep Belle under control. The black puppy was bouncing up at Finn, barking and pulling hard in her excitement.

"Off you go then, before Belle tears your arm off," Carole smiled, waving them off as the boys said goodbye and ran out the door.

Outside was freezing, so they ran to Finn's car as quickly as they could. Inside the car was beautifully warm, so much so that Finn groaned in delight once all the doors were shut and the heat sealed in.

"I love this car."

"Allez," Kurt said impatiently from the backseat as Belle walked all over him in her haste to look out the window.  
><em><br>Come on._

Finn laughed, starting the car and pulling out of the driveway. It took them about ten minutes to get to the park and when they arrived they found a few New Directions members already there.

"Belle!" Tina said with a grin as the puppy tore her leash out of Kurt's hand and raced towards the girl, jumping up at her. The three boys made their way through the thick snow towards Tina and the four people standing with her. Belle ran from one to the next, barking as Finn tried to grab her leash. He went face first into the snow, missing the dog entirely. While everyone stifled a laugh as Finn struggled back to his feet, Puck bent down and scooped the leash up, keeping the dog from leaping up at anyone else. He passed it back to Kurt, who told Bell off firmly though she didn't seem to be listening. She was too interested in Mike and Rachel, and then the rest of New Directions as they began to arrive.

First was Quinn, Santana and Brittany, the latter giggling as she dropped to her knees and patted the black puppy. She was the one person who'd spent the most time with Belle apart from Kurt on the first day that the glee club had come over to meet the new puppy. The two had hogged Belle the most, running around the backyard and wearing the dog out. Next was Artie and Sam, followed quickly by Mercedes. She greeted Kurt warmly before Belle interrupted by jumping between them and barking.

"So what are we waiting for?" Puck grinned, already forming a snowball in his hands. He obviously didn't expect an answer, proven when he stared in surprise as Blaine replied.

"A few people, actually."

"Who?" Santana asked, eyebrow raised.

Blaine and Kurt shared a knowing look and smiled. As if on cue, two cars pulled up and out of them spilled a bunch of boys that were instantly recognisable as friends (by Blaine and Kurt), enemies (by Rachel, as always) and viewed with suspicion (by the rest of them).

"Blaine!" one of the boys shouted in glee, engulfing the shorter boy in a massive hug that had him lost for a moment and unable to breathe. He kicked the boy in the shin until he let go, Blaine taking a moment to suck air in again.

"Liam, seriously?" he asked breathlessly, smiling and shaking his head as the boy eyed Finn of curiously – both were of similar height and he seemed to be sizing him up, deciding who was actually taller.

Before Liam could answer, Blaine was surrounded once again – this time by all the other Warblers, excited to see him again. For a minute Blaine was trapped in a group hug of proportions the likes of which he hadn't experience since leaving Dalton for good, and _that_ had been a crushing hug with fourteen Warblers. This was a lot smaller but just as strong.

Finally they backed off, chattering and asking Blaine a hundred questions at once.

"How are you?"

"Everything going okay?"

"Have you actually _grown_?"

"How's the whole public school thing going for you?"

"Slow down!" Blaine laughed "They'll think you're insane."

He gestured to the McKinley students who were staring at the Warblers in confusion, some with arms folded or eyebrows raised. Quinn was staring at one of the boys, Jeff, with a critical eye, semi-interested. Santana looked especially annoyed when she saw her latest boyfriend amongst the mass.

"You didn't tell me you were coming to Lima today, Liam" she said, looking expectantly at the rather tall Dalton boy who gave her an apologetic look in return with a shrug.

"Guys, these are some of the Warblers," Blaine said, introducing each one. Some of the McKinley kids already knew the boys – Mercedes, Kurt, Santana – while the others were still unaware. Once the boys had been introduced, Puck spoke up.

"Can I just ask… why are they here?"

"You're not the only one who's friends with Blaine," David said, eyeing Puck suspiciously. They stared at each other for a moment, trying to decide just what the other was up to. While they silently faced off, Thad explained.

"We wanted to catch up with Blaine. And Kurt. Blaine invited us down here."

"That's cool," Tina said "The more the merrier. Now, are we going to have fun or not?"

There was a moment of silence and stillness before a yelp pierced the air and suddenly David was reeling from a snowball being thrown at his face. He stared at Puck, who simply smirked and wandered off.

After that, it was an all-out war.

Sides were drawn fairly quickly and teams put together in an attempt to win the snowball fight that raged around them. Santana, Quinn, Brittany, Liam and his brother Mason were a formidable force, Santana pelting anything that moved with snow and Liam and Mason making the perfect pair as the miniature boy made dozens of snowballs and the taller one threw them, keeping the girls stocked with ammunition. Meanwhile, the McKinley boys fought their own battle against Tina, Artie, Rachel, Thad and Trent. They were hiding behind snow-coated trees, laughing and giggling as they tossed snowballs at each other. The Dalton team of Wes, David, Jeff, Nick and Cameron attacked anyone they could find. It didn't matter who they were, though Puck seemed to have a target strapped to his back as whenever he was nearby, all snowballs from the Dalton boys' team appeared to fly his way. Meanwhile, Blaine, Mercedes, Kurt and Belle did their best to avoid the majority of the snowballs and simply enjoy what the snow and the day had to offer. While they were occasionally pelted with snowballs – usually by Tina's allies – the four managed to keep away from the main battlegrounds and stick to the quitter areas of the park. As much as Blaine loved the snow, he didn't particularly love the way it dripped down his back when he was hit from behind, chilling him to the bone. Mercedes didn't have a fondness for the game either, and while Kurt seemed to be okay with the infrequent attacks, they both knew he didn't love it the away the others did.

Belle bounded through the snow, sometimes sinking rather deep before struggling out and continuing on her very merry way. There were few other people in the park – a couple, some younger kids braving the cold with what looked like an older sibling. After Belle had barked her head off at another dog being walked through the snow-laden park and it had taken both Kurt and Mercedes to drag her away, the three decided to go to a more secluded part of the park where they were relatively sure they would be left alone. When they reached the tree-shaded spot, Blaine dropped to the ground on his back, sighing with a grin as he waved his arms around in the snow.

"Tu es adorable," Kurt rolled his eyes good-naturedly as Blaine giggled like a little kid.  
><em><br>You're adorable._

"No, _you're _adorable," Blaine said, Mercedes laughing to herself in the background.

Belle decided to jump on Blaine at that moment, dragging Kurt behind her. In an amazing feat of agility the puppy managed to leap off Blaine before Kurt tripped and fell on top of him, knocking the air out of him. They lay there for a moment, breathlessly laughing before Kurt hauled himself to his feet and held out a gloved hand to Blaine. He pulled his boyfriend out of the snow and giggled as Belle leaped up at Blaine's back, making him stumble forwards. Luckily he managed to miss Kurt before he went face first into the freezing snow. He pulled himself up quickly, gasping.

"I don't think I can feel my face," he complained, standing and avoiding Belle this time. The black Labrador sat, wagging her tail and staring at him with what Blaine swore was a cheeky smirk.

"AAAHHH!"

The three jumped out of their skins as a war cry sounded, Belle barking in surprise. Wes and Cameron came running out of the trees, throwing snowball after snowball at the small group. They ducked and shielded themselves, Kurt using Blaine as a personal shield. Belle went on the offensive, barking and tugging the leash out of Kurt's grip so she could jump at Cameron's chest and knock him down. While she was a small puppy, the force of her flying through the air was enough to make the breathless Warbler collapse on the ground. He laughed as she pawed at him, barking in victory.

"Where's the rest of your team?" Blaine asked with a laugh once the attack had stopped, Wes grinning rather excitedly and trying to look anywhere but at Mercedes.

"Oh, Nick and Jeff ran off together – no, I do _not_ know where and I don't _want _to – and David betrayed me. He switched teams! The cheat."

"Who's he fighting for now?" Mercedes asked, chuckling.

Wes stared at her, starstruck for a moment before replying, "Your guys."

"With Puck?" Blaine said in mock-horror "This I have to see. It can't be good."

They headed towards the last place that team had been seen, Kurt and Mercedes wandering ahead of the others with Belle. When they were out of earshot, Wes leaned over and asked Blaine a question quietly.

"Is she seeing anyone? And be honest."

"You think I'd lie to you about something like that?" Blaine said, hurt "You think I'd lie to you at _all_?"

"Of course not," Wes said hastily, knowing his friend better than probably anyone else on the planet other than David and perhaps Kurt "I just mean… don't sugar coat it. Don't be vague and say 'oh, maybe she is, I don't know' because I don't want to do something stupid."

Blaine smiled at his friend's worry and fear about Mercedes. It fell the moment he realised he was going to have to tell his madly-in-love friend that the girl he liked was already happily with someone else. It was going to hurt, especially as he'd already told Wes before that she might possibly be interested in him if he talked to her.

"So, is she going out with anyone?" Wes asked again, insistent with a look of worry on his face.

Blaine sighed and nodded, "Yeah. Sam – that blonde kid."

Wes sighed as well when he heard the news, sounding dejected, "The Bieber kid? That is just depressing. I mean, how do I even compete with that? It's not fair!"

The ex-Warbler rolled his eyes and patted his friend on the shoulder, "You'll be fine, Wes. There's plenty of girls out there that would go out with you. You just haven't found them yet. Oh, and don't tell anyone about Mercedes and Sam. It's still a secret."

Wes nodded, agreeing to keep the secret, "Okay. But it's easy for you to say – you've got Kurt."

"You'll find someone Wes, don't worry about it. It's just not Mercedes."

Wes sighed, "Fair enough. Come on, we better catch up to them or they'll leave us behind."

The pair raced to catch up. When they reached Mercedes, Kurt and Belle, there seemed to be an avalanche of snow and they were almost buried under the tonnes of snowballs pelted at them from all sides. Wes screamed dramatically as he tried to fight back, attacking David in the trees and racing towards him furiously. The other McKinley boys continued to pummel the defenceless three remaining until Belle jumped into the fight, leaping up and taking down Finn and Sam before anyone could even blink. And when Kurt started to shiver and grabbed Blaine like a lifeline, the deluge stopped immediately, Puck actually looking a little guilty for a moment as he briefly apologised.

"Come on Mercedes," Sam called with a grin "I know where Quinn and the others are hiding."

There was no way Mercedes was going to say no to that sort of opportunity and she waved a goodbye to her two boys before racing off with Sam, Mike, Puck and Finn. It left Blaine and Kurt alone with Belle, sat beside the two with a satisfied expression on her face (Blaine knew she was only a dog, but he swore she was more human than any animals he'd ever met).

"Cold?" he asked, putting an arm around Kurt. Both were coated in snow, freezing cold and slightly damp. Kurt was shivering and he nodded, leaning into Blaine.

"I have an idea. Come with me."

* * *

><p>Quinn had split off from her group long ago to fight alone – and more importantly, find herself that blonde boy she'd seen from the Warblers. She hadn't noticed him before at Sectionals – perhaps she'd been too upset over her breakup with Sam – but now she had and she liked what she saw. He was good looking, had stunning hair and was probably filthy rich. After all, you kind of had to be to go to a school like Dalton Academy, right? At least, that's what she was counting on. If she could snare someone like that boy, maybe she would at the very least be able to make either Finn or Sam jealous enough to come back to her. She would prefer Finn, of course, but Sam would do. Though he'd been distant lately, doing his best to be polite which wasn't going over well with Quinn.<br>_  
>Well<em>, she thought _Maybe he'll be jealous of someone three times as rich as he'll ever be, and with better hair_.

She wandered through the trees, searching quietly for her quarry. She was about to give up and go back to her team to fight the others again – this was getting boring and even throwing snowballs was more fun than this – when she heard the sound of a voice in the still air. She froze, listening to its position before following it, stepping carefully to avoid being detected.

Quinn found her boy alone in a wide, empty, flat part of the park. In summer it would be covered in grass and kids would be playing football or other games on here. Now it was just an expanse of white snow, and the blonde boy was on the tree line and stepping out onto it, looking around.

"Nick? Where the hell did you go?"

From Quinn's limited knowledge of the Warblers – she wished she'd been paying attention when Blaine had introduced his friends – she could name most of them. He obviously wasn't Nick. Wes and David were easy. Thad was on Tina's team from memory, as was that Trent guy. And Liam and Mason had been on her team, one of which being her friend's latest boyfriend. So that left Cameron and… Jeff. She stared at the blonde, trying to figure out which one he was. He didn't really look like a Cameron to her. Maybe it was Jeff? Kind of boring name, but that didn't matter so much.

Suddenly the boy – Jeff? Cameron? – was attacked from the trees by a flying ball of snow. He stumbled forwards as it slammed into his back and he whipped around with a yelp. From the trees walked a brunette, smirking and holding another snowball. Nick, it seemed. He made his way towards the blonde, the other backing away.

"Come on Jeff, you're making it too easy."

Jeff. So that _was _it. Cameron was the other blonde guy. He was of no real interest to Quinn. She watched intently from her hiding place in the trees as the blonde stumbled and had to right himself. As he did, the brunette tossed the snowball at his chest, knocking Jeff off balance and making him fall. He sat in the snow, glaring up at the other boy as the brunette held out a hand to him. Nick pulled him to his feet, both laughing.

"That was unnecessary," Jeff said.

Nick grinned, "But it was fun."

Quinn waited, wanting this Nick character to disappear so she could talk to Jeff alone. She considered walking out of her hiding place and asking to speak to him, but would that be too forward? Would he reject her for that? She couldn't afford it if she wanted to make her McKinley boys jealous. But it looked like she would have to take the chance. It didn't look like Nick was going anywhere any time soon.

But then he had to go and utterly _ruin_ it all. Nick leaned forward and pressed his lips against Jeff's. Quinn rolled his eyes and sighed, a puffy cloud escaping into the cold air. Typical. _Typical_. Of course he was _gay_. He had to go and ruin her plan like that, didn't he?

She couldn't _really_ blame Jeff though. The Nick guy wasn't entirely too bad-looking, and they looked happy. Of course, that thought just made her madder. These guys were happy. Kurt and Blaine were happy. Tina and Mike were happy. Even _Santana_ was relatively happy with her boy Liam, who slept around almost as much as Santana did. Finn and _Rachel_ were happy. Why couldn't she be happy? She'd been happy with Finn. Even Puck had been okay. Sam had been great, but nothing like Finn. Finn was dependable, reliable, kind of dumb. He was also sweet, kind, loving and fiercely loyal. If she was honest with herself, maybe she had even loved him a little. Maybe she still did.

But since when was Quinn Fabray honest with herself?

She sighed as the boys wandered off into the trees, disappearing. _Well, there goes that plan._

Quinn headed back towards her team. If she couldn't get with anyone, maybe she could pelt them all with snowballs and make herself feel better.

* * *

><p>After an hour or so of work, it was done.<p>

"What do you think?" Blaine asked, gesturing to what he, Kurt and Belle had just created. Kurt cast a critical eye over it, frowning as he tilted his head and stared at it for a moment.

"Est-ce un lieu sûr?"  
><em><br>Is it safe?  
><em>  
>"Of course," Blaine reassured him "I wouldn't let you go in there if it wasn't."<p>

It was supposed to be an igloo. But after their first few attempts had failed miserably, Blaine had decided on something a little simpler and something Belle could easily help with. Basically, they'd dug a giant tunnel with a cosy little room at the end, far under the snow. Luckily the snow was deep enough to do so, else their plan would have failed as badly as the igloos had.

Blaine crawled inside, making his way down the short tunnel to the small room they'd created. He could already tell it was warmer in here than outside and he had to strip off his jacket to keep cool. He called for Kurt to come on in, but it was Belle was raced down the tunnel first, the Labrador shaking herself of snow when she entered before settling down at Blaine's feet. Then Kurt crawled in, still hesitant about the whole thing. Once he was inside however, he sighed and smiled at the warmth, taking off his own heavy jacket. There was just enough room for all of them, though the two boys had to huddle together in the dimly-lit 'room'. Not that they minded so much.

"Il fait vraiment chaud ici," Kurt said in surprise, leaning his head on his boyfriend's shoulder.  
><em><br>It's really warm in here._

"It's strange, isn't it?" Blaine replied "It's not as awesome as an igloo, but maybe even warmer."

"Merci, Blaine."

Blaine shifted to look down at him, "For what?"

Kurt shrugged, humming in contentment.

It couldn't last though. For about half an hour they stayed down there, chatting quietly to each other. Then they heard their names being called, sounding worried, so they figured they'd better go and reassure everyone that they were alright.

Outside, the chill bit into them twice as badly as before. Even Belle was shivering now, looking rather sorry for herself. The three made their way towards where everyone had gathered, frantically calling out the missing boys' names.

"They can't have just disappeared," Thad said sensibly, while Wes and David bemoaned the loss of their friend and Mercedes was worriedly talking with Sam and Puck about finding her boys.

"Hey guys," Blaine called, waving.

"You're alive!" Wes and David cried, looking ecstatic "We thought you'd been buried or something."

Kurt and Blaine exchanged knowing looks and grinned, the gesture not understood by the rest of the group.

"What's so funny?" Sam asked.

"Nothing," Blaine replied "You guys finished being crazy?"

As the previous snowball war was brought up, evil grins were shared all around and the McKinley boys – and David – groaned. Tina and her team looked rather smug as the conversation descended into how she, Artie, Trent and Thad had forced the boys into surrender when they'd ambushed them. They'd had no idea how good Artie and Rachel were as throwers and Trent was an excellent pitcher. Tina and Thad had kept them supplied, throwing a few themselves, until the boys had submitted. Santana thought the whole thing was hilarious and had filmed the entire thing on her phone. Puck was trying to get her to delete it but she was refusing, showing Blaine and Kurt the footage.

Eventually though, the cold got to all of them as they just stood around talking, and soon the chatter turned to home.

"It's getting late," Sam said "I have to get back."

"Me too," Artie added.

"And we'd better start driving if we want to make it back to Dalton before nightfall," Cameron commented, the Warblers agreeing reluctantly. Plans were made with Blaine and Kurt to catch up again sometime soon, Thad apologising quietly once again for the incident he'd accidentally caused. Then, before they knew it, they'd driven off and were gone. The New Directions members were also starting to head off. The boys said their goodbyes before disappearing in their respective cars until only Finn, Blaine and Kurt were left. Rachel waved to Finn before leaving, Santana and Brittany getting a lift in Quinn's car. Tina made her goodbyes and vanished, Mercedes taking a little longer to hug Blaine and pat Kurt on the shoulder. In a move that surprised everyone, Kurt stopped her as she moved away, grabbing her instead and pulling her into a hesitant hug. She froze, stunned, hugging back just as tentatively until Kurt let her go and smiled awkwardly at her. Mercedes took a moment to let it all run through her head before beaming widely.

"Kurt… you're amazing, you know that?"

He ducked his head shyly, smiling. Mercedes shook her head as she left, saying good bye to Finn and Blaine as well. Both were just as surprised as she was. Kurt barely even hugged his own father. Blaine was the only person he trusted enough to let close enough to touch. Now it seemed he'd extended that privilege to Mercedes. And high time too, Blaine smiled, she deserved her little bit of happiness that Kurt had given her.

"J'aurais dû faire ça il y a longtemps, mais..."  
><em><br>I should have done that a long time ago, but…_

"I think she's just happy that you did it at all," Blaine said "It means a lot to her."

Finn looked a little upset but said nothing, leading the other two and an exhausted, freezing cold Belle towards his car. They piled in, Kurt and Blaine both taking the backseat with Belle as she collapsed on the seat in exhaustion. The boys leaned against each other, Kurt fighting off sleep.

"Finn?" he said tiredly.

"Yeah?" he replied as he pulled out of the car park and started on the way home.

"Je t'aime."

Blaine saw Finn smile to himself in the rear view mirror before sleep overcame him as well as Kurt. They ended up snoring in the backseat, Belle between them and Finn humming, rather pleased with himself.

* * *

><p><strong>I was actually feeling pretty awful while I was writing this, so I figured I might as well toss it in the story, and I can imagine Kurt hiding in his room in his misery - I know I felt like it ;P<strong>

**Next: I'll give you a clue. Blaine's favourite holiday...**


	12. Jealousy

**I am so sorry for the ridiculous amount of time it took for me to update this. I was insanely busy with exams and graduation (Yes! I've finally graduated high school! XD) and not only didn't I have the time but my inspiration took a dive as well as my confidence. I found out my older sister (who I constantly believe is better than me) is/was planning to write a book - which upset me a lot. I know it's a little silly but writing was the one thing I had over my sister and then she is/was going to take that from me. I began to feel like I couldn't do anything right - and then I just read all the reviews you guys leave me on all my stories. Honestly, you have no idea of the effect you have on me. You all inspire me and I just want to say that you are all amazing.**

**Shout outs to The Songbirds Are Singing, Glitterfrost and Verdandil (thank you both for your help), Chuckles. Is. Me, Ittlebitz, NessySchu, MyPartnerInCrime, LoonyLegs01 and Zoe, as well as every single person that reviews or reads this or any other of my fics.**

**(Oh and you know, just listening to Perfect. *dies*)**

* * *

><p><span>Jealousy<span>

**Valentine's Day - Blaine's favourite holiday. He's determined to make it special for Kurt, as well as to just relax and have fun. Featuring Samcedes, Finchel drama, country love songs, bitchy Kurt, a certain blonde Gap guy and a day that could never be ruined (not even by Finn).**

Finn wasn't that hard of a person to read.

So when he came back from a day out with Rachel with a glum expression, dropped down on the couch and sighed, Blaine knew something was up. And while he didn't really want to get involved in whatever drama Rachel was causing now, he wanted to help Finn fix it before tomorrow. He couldn't have Finn wandering around alone on Valentine's Day now, could he?

He was somewhat excited for Valentine's Day. He and Kurt had already talked and decided they were going to keep it low key, going for coffee after school and glee practice before heading out shopping. Blaine was more than okay with this arrangement. He certainly didn't love shopping but Kurt did and that was all that counted – as long as his boyfriend was having fun, then he would too. Just watching Kurt smile was enough to make Blaine feel like the luckiest person in the world. And he figured he was. You had to be the luckiest person in the world to be Kurt Hummel's best friend and boyfriend, and the only one he trusted wholeheartedly.

Blaine sat down on the couch beside Finn who barely acknowledged his presence.

"What happened?" he asked.

Finn sighed again and answered, "Rachel. I don't get it. I mean, we're together but she doesn't want me even talking to any other girls."

The other rolled his eyes and asked the question he knew he probably should have begun with, "What did you do?"

"Nothing! I just told her I was going to hang out with Quinn tomorrow, because she asked me to and I thought I'd be a friend or whatever. Rachel tossed a fit and now she won't talk to me."

Blaine frowned, staring at Finn in confusion. When the taller noticed he threw up his hands.

"What? Can't I just hang out with Quinn? I mean sure, we dated and stuff, but I'm totally with Rachel now. I don't get why I can't be friends with both of them!"

"I'm sure Rachel will always be jealous of Quinn," Blaine said patiently "But that's not what the problem is."

Finn just tilted his head in confusion until Blaine relented and explained.

"It's Valentine's Day tomorrow. Didn't you know?"

The boy was silent for a moment before realisation dawned on his face and he stood up.

"So that's why she was angry!"

"Yes, Finn. You were going to hang out with your ex-girlfriend on Valentine's Day instead of your current one," Blaine said.

_And she asked him to. She's up to something_, he thought, but kept that to himself. He liked Quinn, he did, but there was no doubting that she could be manipulative and demanding, ready to do whatever was necessary to get what she wanted. In a way, she was a little like Rachel – determined, never giving up, fighting for what she wanted with every breath.

"I have to go call Rachel," Finn said, rushing off. As he ran out of the room he passed Kurt, nearly knocking him over. The taller boy called out an apology as he disappeared to his room. Kurt shook his head and smiled to himself, walking over to his boyfriend and sitting down beside him on the couch. "C'était quoi ça?"

_What was that?_

Blaine chuckled and shook his head. "Quinn asked Finn to hang out with him tomorrow and he agreed, forgetting it was Valentine's Day. Rachel got mad at him."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Il est un peu idiot des fois."

_He's a little dumb sometimes._

Blaine agreed with a smile, putting an arm around his boyfriend. Kurt snuggled in closer, murmuring under his breath in contentment.

"Je t'aime."

"Love you too."

* * *

><p>Walking into glee practice, Blaine had no idea of the chaos that was about to break loose.<p>

The club was somewhat in disarray. Finn's call to Rachel hadn't gone as planned and she was still mad at him. She was sat across the room glaring at him as the boy sat with a very smug Quinn. He looked a little lost but Quinn was keeping him in check, talking to him firmly as if he were a small child. The tension had spread to some of the other glee clubbers – Artie was eyeing Brittany oddly as Santana glared back at him defensively, holding onto her friend. Puck was ignoring everything from the far side of the room, eyes closed. But no amount of arguing or tension could spoil the love that was hiding up the back as Tina sat on Mike's lap, the pair giggling and talking softly to each other. Sam and Mercedes were also talking and Blaine smiled at them, giving them a small wave as he and Kurt passed. They sat up the back to escape the simmering anger between Rachel and Quinn, Kurt holding his boyfriend's hand and smiling.

When Mr Schue walked in, he noticed the anger in the room and even stalled a little, glancing between the girls and Finn before shaking his head. No one wanted to get in the middle of that.

"Alright, I know it's Valentine's Day and you've all probably got plans so I'll try not to keep you too long," the man said, smiling as he gestured to the couples at the back. Blaine glanced at Sam and Mercedes, surprised when he didn't see them jump apart like the usually did. In fact, they seemed to move closer together, and _was Mercedes blushing?_

Blaine didn't get the chance to find out because Sam was speaking.

"Mr Schue? I was wondering if I could sing something?"

Mr Schue nodded and left the floor open. Sam headed up, Mercedes following and taking a seat in the front row. When everyone was quiet (and staring curiously, switching glances between the blonde and the diva. Puck woke up to find out what was going on and Quinn started to look a little perturbed by this odd turn of events) Sam smiled and spoke.

"It's Valentine's Day, and it's kind of the time when us freaks in Glee club sing to their partners," Sam joked, some of the teenagers chuckling. Blaine and Kurt exchanged a look and smiled. They knew what was going on now.

"So I have a song I'd like to sing that expresses what I'd like to say," Sam finished, gesturing to the band. They nodded and struck up the music.

_I have always been a little shy  
>I've always been the quiet type till now<br>And I-I-I  
>I never let my feelings show<br>I never let anybody know just how  
>Much I was so deep in love<br>But now that you're in my arms_

Quinn was positively furious now and she was glaring at Mercedes angrily. Blaine didn't understand her anger – after all, she seemed to have Finn twisted around her little finger now. If Mercedes had Sam, how did that affect her? But everyone else in the group seemed to be happy for the girl (apart from Rachel, who was too busy being angry at Quinn, and Santana, who was too busy being her usual bitchy self). Mercedes was blushing like mad and grinning as Sam winked and her and continued to sing.

_I'm gonna stand on a rooftop  
>Climb up a mountaintop<br>Baby, scream and shout  
>I wanna sing it on the radio<br>Show it on a video  
>Baby, leave no doubt<br>I want the whole world to know  
>Just what I'm all about<br>I love to love you out loud_

Sam moved to sit in the empty seat beside Mercedes, singing to her as the girl laughed and rolled her eyes. It was obvious she was enjoying it though. Blaine smiled to himself as he watched how happy they were despite the positively evil glare they were getting from Quinn.

_You keep bringing out the free in me  
>What you do to my heart just makes me melt<br>And I-I-I  
>I don't think I can resist<br>But I've never been one to kiss and tell  
>A love this true can't be subdued<br>So I'm gonna let out a yell_

Sam stood up again and stood in the middle of the room, pointing at Mercedes as he sang. Around the room some of the glee clubbers were nodding along to the song or smiling – everyone was enjoying it. Kurt got to his feet and Blaine laughed as his boyfriend walked to Mercedes and pushed her to her feet, sending her towards Sam. The blonde caught her as Kurt sat back down beside Blaine with a triumphant smile.

_I'm gonna stand on a rooftop  
>Climb up a mountaintop<br>Baby, scream and shout  
>I wanna sing it on the radio<br>Show it on a video  
>Baby, leave no doubt<br>I want the whole world to know  
>Just what I'm all about<br>I love to love you out loud_

_Baby, I want the whole world to see  
>Just how good your love looks on me<em>

Sam looked pointedly at Quinn as he sang the final lines, a smug look on his face as if to say to her _look, I got what I was looking for. You're still sat there waiting for love to find you. Look what I have. _Quinn was fuming in her seat as Sam twirled Mercedes around and the girl giggled.

_I'm gonna stand on a rooftop  
>Climb up a mountaintop<br>Baby, scream and shout  
>I wanna sing it on the radio<br>Show it on a video  
>Baby, leave no doubt<br>I want the whole world to know  
>Just what I'm all about<br>I love to love you out loud_

_Baby, I love to love you out loud  
>Yeah, I love to love you out loud<em>

Sam finished and bowed both to the audience and to Mercedes. And then he looked over all the glee club members and said in a proud voice, "I'm in love with Mercedes Jones and I am amazed to be able to call her my girlfriend."

Most of the glee club ran down to congratulate the pair and ask them a number of questions ('Since _when_?' seemed to be a popular query). Blaine and Kurt made their way down past Quinn – Finn having already gotten up to talk to the 'new' couple. The blonde was staring stonily ahead and Blaine sighed. She'd find what she was looking for eventually, but not if she went around stealing other people's boyfriends.

"Alright, alright," Mr Schue said with a smile, gesturing for everyone to return to their seats. Mercedes and Sam took their places up the back again as the teacher continued with what he'd previously been about to say, the pair sitting close together now that they were officially out and dating. Blaine was incredibly proud and happy for them. They deserved it.

* * *

><p>"Blaine!" Kurt called in exasperation.<p>

Blaine laughed and ducked into the store, knowing Kurt would have to follow him. He also knew that Kurt didn't exactly have a fondness for this particular store.

"Blaine, Blaine, où es-tu?"

Kurt called out, asking where he was as Blaine watched him walk into the shop and search for him. His voice was calm but the former Dalton boy could sense the slight fear behind his words and so rushed to collect him. He considered sneaking up behind him but decided against it – he didn't want to freak Kurt out. Instead he hid behind a display and waited until Kurt was close by.

"Kurt," he said in his deepest tone and the boy jumped a mile, letting out a high pitched squeak in surprise.

"Blaine! Ne fais pas ça!" _Don't do that! _Kurt scolded as the curly-haired singer crept out from his hiding place and smiled sheepishly. Despite the fact they were indeed in the middle of a Gap store in Ohio, Blaine hugged his boyfriend from behind and rested his head on his shoulder. Kurt chuckled but before he could twist around Blaine danced away, smirking.

"You have to catch me first," he laughed and raced off. He made sure he knew where Kurt was in case he needed help or got scared, but stayed out of sight. Now _this_ was his idea of fun. Shopping was okay but he just figured he could spice it up a little, get them laughing and both having fun. Some of the people around him looked at the former soloist strangely but said nothing, simply rolling their eyes or shaking their heads and continuing with their business. An excitable teenager was nothing they wanted to deal with.

"Can I help you?"

Blaine jumped a foot in the air and spun to find himself face to face with a slightly taller blonde.

"Uh, no, just… looking for my friend," Blaine managed to smile politely.

The guy smiled in return, "Ah, I see. Your friend wouldn't happen to be about this high," he gestured vaguely just above Blaine's head "with brown hair, pale skin, blue eyes? Speaking French?"

"That would be him." Blaine shot the nameless boy a dazzling grin "Have you seen him?"

"No," the other replied just as quickly, smirking "I do, however, see the end of my shift in a few minutes and a free table at the Lima Bean. On me. You interested?"

Blaine worked his jaw for a moment, not sure how to respond to that. He'd never been quite so blatantly hit on before and didn't know how to react. Luckily he was saved from having to reply by a familiar voice appearing from beside him.

"Te voilà," Kurt smiled, linking arms with Blaine.

_There you are_.

"Here I am," Blaine returned before looking up at the blonde "Sorry… uh…"

"Jeremiah," was the terse reply.

"Jeremiah. Look, I've got to go. Maybe I'll see you around."

"Of course," Jeremiah put a hand on the singer's shoulder and smiled "I'll see you around."

Blaine was ready to leave it at that and disappear from this rather awkward situation. But Kurt wasn't quite finished. In a move that surprised Blaine, his boyfriend tugged him away from Jeremiah's hand and glared at the boy.

"Laisse-le tranquille," he hissed angrily.

_Leave him alone._

Jeremiah didn't seem to understand exactly what he was saying but he got the message. He took a step back, shrugging. Kurt pulled Blaine away from the blonde and they were about to walk out when Jeremiah spoke for a final time.

"If you want to, you know where to find me."

Kurt stopped in his tracks at that and turned slowly to face the boy. Blaine was about to pull him back when the brunette stalked towards Jeremiah and faced him down, eyes blazing.

"Il est à moi! Laisse-le tranquille! Ne lui parle plus jamais; il est à moi, tu comprends? J'ai des amis qui se feraient un plaisir de te battre si tu tentes quoi que ce soit, alors n'y pense même pas! Dégage!"

Blaine stared in shock as Kurt shouted at the blonde, Jeremiah backing up a few steps to get away from the raging, angry teenager in front of him. The singer translated the words in his head as Kurt yelled, drawing attention from shoppers and security.

_He's mine! Leave him alone! Don't ever talk to him again; he's mine, do you understand that? And I have friends who will gladly beat you up if you try anything, so don't even think about it! Back off!_

Quickly Blaine grabbed his boyfriend and pulled him away. Jeremiah was standing further back, visibly shaking and staring in shock. As a security guard descended on the scene, Blaine knew it was time to go. He kept a firm grip on Kurt's arm and dragged him out of the store still fuming. Once they were clear and well away from the shop, Blaine stopped and turned to face his boyfriend.

"What was that all about?"

"Tu es à moi," was all Kurt would mumble, arms folded across his chest.

_You're mine._

The curly-haired singer couldn't hold back a smile at that. He shook his head with a sigh and a grin spreading across his face. When Kurt saw it he smiled as well, looking up at his boyfriend through long lashes.

"Come on," Blaine laughed "I think we should get home before you get us kicked out of another place."

"Hé!"

* * *

><p>When the pair reached home, no one was there. Finn was out somewhere – probably with Quinn rather than Rachel. Burt would still be working for a little while longer, as would Carole. So they were essentially alone in the house for at least the next hour. Not that they would do anything, but it was nice to be alone and know that no one was going to interrupt or annoy them.<p>

Kurt led Blaine to the former soloist's room with Belle on their heels. He sprawled out on the other's bed with a sigh. Blaine chuckled and joined him, lying on his stomach next to him. Belle jumped up and settled down between the two of them quite happily, much to the amusement of the two boys. Kurt glanced at his boyfriend out of the corner of his eyes, laughing.

"You're amazing, you know that?" Blaine sighed with a smile.

"Je sais. Ça a été dit."

_I know. It's been said._

Blaine laughed and sat up. As he looked across the room and caught sight of his guitar a flash of inspiration hit him. He scrambled to grab it, Kurt sitting up to see what he was doing. Quickly, Blaine positioned himself in front of Kurt with the guitar in his lap.

"It's Valentine's Day, and it's kind of the time when us freaks in Glee club sing to their partners," Blaine smirked, making Kurt laugh again (he'd have to thank Sam for this whole idea later) "So I have a song I'd like to sing that expresses what I'd like to say."

He began to play softly. The brunette across from him quietened down to listen, adoration mixing with admiration and awe as Blaine played and sang.

_There's that star  
>The one they said we'd never reach<br>And just close your eyes  
>There's the missing moon<br>There's the Milky Way  
>Heaven's straight ahead<br>We'll be there today  
>Rainbows right and left<br>Sunshine everywhere  
>If it couldn't be baby<br>How did we get here?_

Kurt smiled as Blaine glanced up at him, still singing. The brunette was swaying slightly to the music of the guitar and the other's voice as if it was hypnotizing, absently patting Belle. The dog had her ears pricked and seemed to be listening as closely as Kurt was. Blaine chuckled and continued with the song, still amazed at the fact that this boy, beautiful in every way, was sat across from him and was _his_.

_Some say we'll never get it off the ground  
>Some say we'll never make it out of town<br>That someday we'll end up a world apart  
>And some say we're a couple crazy kids<br>And some say that's exactly what they did  
>And I say you got to go with your heart<br>And baby, look where we are_

Kurt was amazing. Blaine knew he was incredibly blessed to even know him, let alone be a friend and god forbid be his boyfriend. It was even more amazing to know that their first meeting had been completely by accident. He'd bumped into Kurt and Mercedes in the line at the coffee shop and since then he hadn't looked back. No matter where this path was going to take him, he knew he would always stick with Kurt.

_There's that home  
>The one they said we'd never share<br>And just close your eyes  
>There's the picket fence<br>There's our mailbox  
>Puppy on the porch and roses up the walk<br>Shiny minivan  
>Kids in every seat<br>Someday we'll look back and say it wasn't just a dream_

Kurt chuckled as Blaine sang that verse, blushing slightly. The dark-haired singer looked up at him. Maybe it wasn't so far off. Maybe this sort of dream wasn't just a dream. He knew it would be difficult and hard but Blaine didn't care. He'd fight to stay with Kurt if that's what it took. He'd fight and do whatever it took to make sure Kurt was okay and looked after and loved.

_Some say we'll never get it off the ground  
>Some say we'll never make it out of town<br>That someday we'll end up a world apart  
>And some say we're a couple crazy kids<br>And some say that's exactly what they did  
>And I say you got to go with your heart<br>And baby, look where we are_

There were those that said that two boys shouldn't fall in love. There were some that ridiculed their relationship. Mocked them. Hated them. There were some that thought a relationship between a mentally disabled kid and a 'normal' kid was dangerous. Wrong. Being gay didn't help the situation at all. Everywhere they turned they faced discrimination, hate, ignorance, bigotry. But Blaine would never back down. Ever.

_Some say we'll never get it off the ground  
>Some say we'll never make it out of town<br>That someday we'll end up a world apart  
>And some say we're a couple crazy kids<br>And some say that's exactly what they did  
>And I say you got to go with your heart<br>And baby, look where we are_

As Blaine trailed off the song he smiled shyly up at Kurt. The brunette returned it just as shyly, ducking his head as he blushed to pat the puppy between them. Blaine carefully put his guitar down on the floor beside his bed. Belle seemed to decide that now was a good time to jump off the bed and play on the floor, batting at and chasing a crumpled ball of paper across the room. But neither of the boys really noticed. They were a little preoccupied with the other's eyes – stunningly bright and blue from Blaine's perspective, deeply emotional and hazel from Kurt's. They shifted towards each other, a breath apart. Gently, carefully, Blaine rested his forehead against Kurt's. As much as he wanted to kiss him right that second, he knew he had to take it slow. It was still Kurt and since the locker room incident Kurt had had issues with people touching his face. But so far he seemed okay. The brunette's eyes were closed, breath coming a little faster as Blaine reached up to brush his fingers across the boy's cheek. He flinched but didn't pull away.

"I love you," Blaine said softly.

"Je-"

They were interrupted by the front door slamming shut with a powerful amount of force. They jumped apart, Blaine's heart beating a hundred miles an hour at the surprise. Kurt looked dazed and baffled, just blinking and staring at the floor. Blaine sighed as he heard Finn grumbling down the hall. He loved that boy like a brother, he really did, but it didn't stop him from being annoyed at him for interrupting.

Later the pair would go and talk to Finn. They would find out that Rachel had broken up with him, bitterly angry, and that Quinn had offered to take him back. They would offer their support and sympathies.

But at that moment the boys just sat there. Kurt crawled over and slid into Blaine's arms, the other holding him gently against his chest. He smiled to himself.

A rather perfect Valentine's Day, if you asked him.

* * *

><p><strong>Sam sings Love You Out Loud by Rascal Flatts<br>Blaine sings Some Say by Rascal Flatts**

**What can I say? Rascal Flatts is amazing and turned me from a country hater to an admirer. **

**Next: Drama. Disappointment. Hurt. Betrayal. What happened Last Friday Night is about to turn into a massive trainwreck that could set things back for our favourite couple.**


	13. Never Let You Go

**Okay, so, apologies are definitely needed. Not only was the last update in _November_, it's also been so long that I forgot what the last chapter was about. WHAT.**

**Basically, I am _so_ sorry for taking so long to write this. I was a little hesitant as some people pretty much asked me not to write what I was going to, which mde me feel bad, but in the end it's my story and if you don't like it, don't read it. I also just got back from a week away and my internet is slow, which is yet another crappy excuse ;P**

**Shout outs and thank yous to Verdandil, Ittlebitz and milkychaitea, who ended up being the 200th reviewer on this fic! TWO HUNDRED GUYS. WHAT. YOU ARE ALL AMAZING. I LOVE YOU.**

**Ahem. **

**To all those people that thought I may break up Klaine - I won't. Take it as a spoiler if you wish. I will never break up Klaine in this fic. I just don't think they would. Can you really see these two breaking up over something that wasn't majorly important? Blaine is incredibly devoted to Kurt and Kurt trusts Blaine fully - more than almost anyone else. They may have their arguments and their fights, but I can't see them breaking up so they won't. **

**You can all breathe easy now ;P**

**On with the chapter? (It may get a little confusing with the days but hopefully it's fairly straightforward)**

* * *

><p><span>Never Let You Go<span>

**New Directions is invited to a party by the Warblers, and to everyone's surprise Kurt wants to go. But he may regret going when everything starts to go downhill. Featuring Warblers, drinking games, angry-as-all-hell Burt, fairly nice Puck, miserable Blaine and one hell of a performance.**

* * *

><p><strong>Saturday Morning<br>6:01 AM**

Blaine stood on the footpath, unmoving. Where was he supposed to go? He didn't have anywhere else. This was the only place he had and now it wasn't his to call home anymore. Of course, any of the others in the glee club would have taken him in for the night – but not after what he'd done. There was only one person left that he hadn't called for help. With shaking hands, Blaine retrieved his phone from his jacket pocket and found the number he needed.

The call was picked up on the fifth ring.

"_What the hell? Who's calling at this stupid time?_"

"Puck… I need your help."

"_Blaine? Are you serious? I have the hangover from hell, and I seriously…_"

"I just need a place to stay. Please Puck, no one else will help me."

When Puck replied, it was cautiously and with a slow, wary tone. "_What did you do?_"

Blaine closed his eyes and wished he could forget.

* * *

><p><strong>Monday Afternoon<br>4:13 PM**

"So we're going to have to step it up for Regionals is we want to actually beat the Warblers this time," Mr Schue said, gesturing to Blaine with a smile "Sorry Blaine."

The group chuckled and Blaine shook his head with a smile. He'd known this was coming – having to go up against his friends and former group at Regionals. Only one could win this time but it could go either way – and no matter which of them won, Blaine would be both happy and upset. But he was a New Directions kid now. He was part of that family. And he'd promised them he would give them his all and work his hardest for them just like he'd done for the Warblers. He'd do his best to help win the Regionals trophy for McKinley.

But it didn't mean he didn't miss the Warblers and his friends at Dalton.

"Mr Schue, are we going to do that ridiculous vote again?" Rachel asked, earning her a sideways glare from Mercedes "I mean sure, it got us to Regionals, but on a _tie_…"

"No, we're not, Rachel," the director said, sparking groans and angry outbursts from everyone else in the room.

"What? That's not fair!"

"Yeah Mr Schue! Come on!"

"We got to Regionals with the vote! We know what we want!"

"What happened to your precious diversity, hey?"

Mr Schue called for quiet and finally the group calmed down. Blaine put an arm around Kurt's shoulder as they all listened in to hear what the teacher had to say now. Rachel and Finn duet? Rachel solo? They wouldn't be surprised if they ended up going back to what had worked for them before – no matter how unfair to the rest of them it was.

"When I said we need to step it up, I meant it. We need to do something that the other guys aren't. We need to do something different and new that the judges won't be expecting."

He paused for dramatic effect.

"I want us to write our own songs."

Immediately the group dissolved into whispers and mutters about possible song ideas, or comments on the suggestion itself. Blaine glanced at Kurt, interested to hear what he thought. But his boyfriend (was he _ever _going to get over how perfect that sounded?) just blinked at him and shrugged, seemingly not bothered.

"Tu pourrais en écrire une," he said quietly with a slight smile, eyes faraway as if remembering something.  
><em><br>You could write one.  
><em>  
>"I could," Blaine replied with a smile of his own, knowing just what Kurt was recalling "But that would be unfair. I got all the solos with the Warblers. I think it's only fair that you guys get a chance in the spotlight."<p>

Kurt opened his mouth to say something but was cut off when Mr Schue continued with what he'd been saying, quietening everyone down and ignoring Rachel's incredibly smug look.

"I want everyone to try and write a song or two, see what you can come up with. The people who write the ones we decide on can sing them. Fair enough?"

"What if we just suck at song writing?" Puck offered "It's kind of _not _fair."

"That's why I'm going to help you all. Every practice we have is going to be time for us to write or perform what we have so far," the teacher replied. Everyone rolled their eyes at the thought of spending their glee practice actually _doing _something. Most of the time they passed the hour chatting to each other or texting, half-listening to what Mr Schue was saying.

"Alright guys, you can go now but get onto that song writing!" the director said far too cheerfully for a Monday afternoon "Remember – write about something that's important to you. That means something. That makes you _feel_ something."

The various members of the club began to collect their things and leave, Blaine taking Kurt's hand and following Finn out of the room towards the parking lot. Finn was walking with Puck, chatting to him about how hard it would be to write a song. Blaine's attention was caught suddenly by his phone vibrating in his jeans' pocket (paying for his own phone was a small step to independence when he'd previously let his parents pay, and it felt _good_). He fished it out with his free hand and checked who was calling. He smiled as he read the ID and picked up the call.

"Hey Jeff. What's up?"

"_Blaine? Hi!_"

"Why do you sound surprised?" Blaine chuckled "You called me."

"_Right. Anyway, we wanted to invite you guys to Cameron's place this Friday night!"  
><em>  
>"A party at Cam's? Are you serious?" the former Warbler rolled his eyes at the thought. Parties at Cameron's – or any Warbler parties in general – usually involved large amounts of alcohol (and not just any alcohol, but some pretty good and expensive stuff), making out with whoever was closest, some Spin the Bottle or Truth or Dare, and being hung-over all weekend. If you weren't drinking, it was a mixture of the best and most awkward night of your life. You didn't remember it if you were drinking.<p>

"_Yeah! And when I say you guys, I mean all of you. Like, the New Directions. Kind of a 'let's party before we beat your ass at Regionals' thing_," Jeff laughed.

"I don't know…" Blaine bit his lip, glancing at Kurt. There wasn't a chance in hell he was letting Kurt near anything remotely alcoholic – so it didn't exactly seem like the best idea to bring him to a Warbler party.

"_Just ask them and call me back!_" Jeff said "_I'll talk to you later, okay?_"

Blaine said goodbye and hung up, mulling the thought over. It could be good, loosening up and having some fun with the competition before actually fighting it out. On the other hand, it could be a total disaster.

Sighing, he started typing out a new text, addressing it to all the New Directions members.

_Party on Friday night, Warblers place in Westerville. Warning - will be lots of alcohol, drinking games, etc. Warblers go OTT. Anyone interested?_

A few seconds after he sent the text Kurt looked up at him curiously and there was a gleeful shout from Puck in front of them.

"I am so in on this!"

Finn and Blaine traded slightly nervous glances. Neither of them wanted to put Kurt in a dangerous or awkward situation when it could easily be avoided. But Blaine desperately wanted to see his friends and they could all use the chance to kick back.

"Did you want to go, Kurt?" Blaine asked, looking back over to his boyfriend. Kurt shrugged and mumbled something noncommittal.

There was only one thing for it.

**4:30 PM**

"I'm sorry," Burt said, flicking his astonished gaze between Finn and Blaine equally "You want to take Kurt _where_?"

The two boys each bit their lip and glanced at each other, silently demanding the other speak first. Finally Blaine rolled his eyes and explained their plan a little more fully to the rather stunned and confused Burt.

"We just wanted to take Kurt with us to a party the Warblers are throwing this Friday. We both swear we won't drink if there's alcohol and we'll be back by midnight. We – I thought it might be a good idea, but only if Kurt wants to go of course."

Burt raised an eyebrow and said nothing, arms folded across his chest as he looked between the two boys. Finn looked decidedly uncomfortable with the whole thing and Blaine ducked his head, knowing what he was asking. Kurt didn't have the social skills or the understanding to be able to deal with this alone, and if something went wrong it could be disastrous. Kurt could end up hurt unintentionally and there wasn't really much of a chance of Burt letting his son go when he could be at risk. Still, Blaine had figured he may as well ask.

Finally Burt sighed and told them he'd think about it. Blaine and Finn exchanged a quick glance before dashing off to let the man think. Finn invited the other to a Halo game or two and Blaine agreed, telling him he'd be there in a moment. Once Finn was gone, he pulled his phone from his pocket and found the number he needed.

Within two rings the person on the other end had picked up.

"_Blaine!_"

"Hey Jeff," Blaine smiled "The rest of the guys are going to come – we're just not sure if Kurt should or not."

When Jeff replied after a few seconds of hesitation, he sounded upset. "_Shit, we didn't even think about Kurt and his autism thing. Wow, shit… um…_"

"It's okay," Blaine said with a shake of his head. He wasn't surprised that they'd forgotten. He'd figured they had when Jeff had called and suggested the party in the first place.

The blonde on the other end of the line sighed and said, "_God, sorry. Really. Look, we totally understand if you two don't come or something, we really should have thought-_"

"We've asked his dad, so it's just a matter of if Kurt wants to go and if his dad actually lets him. I'll call you when we know, okay?"

Jeff agreed and Blaine said his goodbyes before hanging up. He headed for Kurt's room to check in on him – he hadn't seen him since they'd gotten home. He knocked on the door and when he got a call to enter, he did.

Inside, Kurt was lying on his stomach on his bed, book in his hands and Belle asleep beside him. She was getting bigger and bigger as the weeks went by – she was at least twice the size she was when Kurt had picked her out – and she took up a quarter of the bed with her legs stretched out. Kurt looked up at his boyfriend as he walked into the room, and he smiled.

"Hey." Blaine smiled too, sitting on the edge of Kurt's bed and rubbing Belle's tummy. The puppy blinked her eyes open to glance at him before dropping back into sleep.

"Tu vas me demander si je veux aller à la fête," Kurt said suddenly.

_You're going to ask me if I want to go to the party_.

Blaine nodded. "Did you? Because you don't have to if you don't want to."

He could tell Kurt was nervous about the idea of being in the same room as a bunch of people he barely knew – everyone was. No one wanted Kurt to get hurt or for something to go wrong. Finally he spoke quietly, hesitantly.

"Je... Je vais y aller."  
><em><br>I… I'll go._

"Are you sure?" Blaine didn't want to make Kurt think he had to go, but the other just nodded and went back to his reading. Clearly dismissed, Blaine smiled and left the room, going to find Finn for that Halo game.

* * *

><p><strong>Saturday Morning<br>6:17 AM**

When Blaine finally made it to Puck's place, the teenager was in the doorway waiting for him. And the expression on his face didn't bode well. Blaine stopped a few paces away from him, head down because he couldn't handle seeing that look anymore. The disappointment and the anger, the shock and the resentment. All the emotions were too raw within him and seeing it one everyone else's faces only made it worse.

"I shouldn't be doing this," Puck said, still barring the doorway. Blaine nodded. He shouldn't really. He had as much right as everyone else to turn him away. He didn't quite know what he was thinking when he'd called Puck for help. He wouldn't do anything. He probably hated him as much as all the others.

"Here's the deal," Puck continued "You can stay here, but if you haven't got things fixed with Kurt by the end of school on Monday, you're out."

"Thank you."

Puck sighed and moved so Blaine could enter. "Don't."

* * *

><p><strong>Tuesday Afternoon – Three Days Earlier<br>3:30 PM**

"Can you believe it?" Santana snorted "I'm pretty sure there isn't a song in the world that's about safe drinking. This whole thing is stupid."

"Tell me about it," Puck laughed "He's mad."

The group were on their way to Glee practice for that afternoon – 'the group' being Puck, Santana, Mercedes, Artie and the never-separated Kurt and Blaine. The topic of their conversation was the decree from the principal that the glee club was to perform a song to promote alcohol awareness for next week, and no one was happy about it.

"I get what he's trying to say," Artie said "But Santana's right – there's no song in the world that we could use. Besides, who listens to us?"

Mercedes agreed and, as usual, Blaine and Kurt stayed out of the conversation. It usually didn't concern them and when it did, they would put in their two cents and go back to their own little world. Few in the glee club bothered to drag them out of it, but in this case Puck seemed to find it necessary to turn the conversation around to the upcoming party in Westerville.

"Hey Blaine, you said there's gonna be heaps of booze at this party, right?" he said, shaking Blaine out of his own thoughts of the party – mostly about every way it could go wrong.

"Yeah. The Warblers always go over the top when it comes to alcohol and partying. It's just their style."

"They certainly don't look the type to party hard," Santana smirked "But I ain't complaining if that's the way they do things."

At that point the small group made it to the choir room and the rest of the glee club. Kurt chose that moment to look over at Blaine and say, "J'ai hâte."  
><em><br>I can't wait._

Of the entire glee club, only a few could speak fluent enough French to understand what Kurt was saying most of the time. Finn was one, Blaine another. The only others were Tina (but only just), Mercedes and Santana. The three girls stared at Blaine when they heard what Kurt had said and the shorter boy bit his lip. This couldn't be good.

"Kurt, can we borrow Blaine for a minute?" Tina asked.

The boy nodded and moved to sit next to Finn, a little dumbfounded. Meanwhile the girls all but dragged Blaine out of the room and shut the door so they wouldn't be overheard.

"You're letting Kurt go to this party?" Tina said, stunned.

"He wants to."

"This isn't about if he wants to," Mercedes said "It's about what's okay and safe for him. You know these parties better than anyone, and even by what you said in the text they sound bad. And you're letting Kurt go?"

Blaine sighed. "Look, Burt's still thinking it over so if he says no, then Kurt's not going. I'm not forcing him to go. And Finn and I aren't going to drink, so we'll be able to look after him and get him out if something goes wrong."

Santana just shook her head, looking disappointed – and that surprised Blaine. He'd seen the girl angry, annoyed, bitchy, upset, happy even; but never disappointed. Disapproving. It seemed like a totally alien emotion for Santana to have but here she was, looking at him like she was disappointed in him and what he was doing. Blaine swallowed as she spoke harshly.

"If something goes wrong – and I use 'if' optimistically – I will skin you alive and use you as a floor rug, is that clear?"

"He's not a child!" Blaine shot back, a little annoyed at what they were saying and the looks of astonishment on their faces only fuelled him on "Just because he has autism doesn't mean you get to treat him like he's an idiot! And Finn and I will both be there to look after him."

There was silence for a good while, the three girls just staring at him like he'd grown a second head. Then, finally, Mercedes stepped a little closer until she and Blaine were face to face, only inches apart.

"You may have the privilege of being Kurt's boyfriend," she said in a careful, guarded tone that scared the shit out of Blaine "But you've known him all of a couple of months. I have known him for most of my life, and the rest have known him for much longer than you. And I am warning you now – if you take Kurt to that party and something goes wrong, not only will you lose our trust, but his as well. Think about that."

The girl walked past him and back into the choir room, Santana and Tina following close behind. Blaine was left standing outside, shaken and worried with a bad feeling growing in his chest that something was going to go terribly, horribly wrong.

* * *

><p><strong>Saturday Afternoon<br>2:12 PM**

"He won't answer."

"You think he wants to talk to you after what happened?"

"Dammit Puck, I didn't… I didn't…"

"You didn't what? You didn't mean to? You didn't mean to ruin the best thing that has ever happened to Kurt? You didn't mean to hurt him? You didn't mean to break his heart?"

"I never wanted to hurt him. Ever."

"Well, you did."

"You don't think I know that?"

"Do you even know how badly you screwed up?"

"Yes, Puck, I know."

* * *

><p><strong>Friday Night<br>7:04 PM**

Blaine was almost trembling, he was so afraid of what might happen tonight. He'd almost convinced Kurt to stay home with him, but then Kurt had told him that the others didn't know the Warblers and he should go to make sure nothing bad happened between the two groups, and if Blaine was going then so was he.

And really, it was a miracle that Kurt was even allowed to go as it was. Burt had been very reluctant to let his son go and there had been some very strict conditions to which Finn and Blaine had agreed to.

"_Alright, now if Kurt's going to go, there are going to be some rules," Burt said, eyeing the two boys warily. They both nodded, knowing they'd agree to whatever Burt decided to decree._

_"One – you're back by midnight, as you said."_

_"Of course."_

_"Two – none of you are drinking. I _know_ there'll be alcohol there and you are not allowed anywhere near it, and that includes Kurt."_

_Blaine and Finn nodded. They hadn't planned on drinking and there was no way that they were letting Kurt near any alcohol. Burt frowned and continued._

_"Three – you bring Kurt back without any incident. Promise me that _nothing_ will happen to him."_

_The two boys glanced at each other before nodding and replying._

_"Nothing will happen to him – we promise."_

And that was pretty much how they'd ended up in Cameron's driveway on the fateful Friday night. Finn had driven and already he and Kurt were out of the car waiting for him. Taking a deep breath, Blaine told himself to relax. This was a party. He was going to have fun and kick back and enjoy the company of his friends. Sliding out of the car he caught Kurt's hand, who tightened his grip ever so slightly to acknowledge Blaine's worry and his own.

Finn was at the door and buzzing the doorbell. The door opened just as the two others reached him to reveal Jeff, who grinned.

"Hey, you're here! Everyone else is here, at least I think they are, 'cause I don't really know your friends, but we're all having fun, so come in and have fun!" the blonde rambled, stepping aside to let the others in. He was clearly already tipsy and as the three made their way to where the party was in full swing, they realised he wasn't the only one.

It certainly looked like all of New Directions was there – some well on their way to getting drunk. Puck and Sam were engaged in some sort of conversation with Cameron, Thad and Artie were comparing their rap skills and most of the girls were hanging around Liam, Wes and David. Blaine shook his head as Nick bounced up and dragged his boyfriend off somewhere secret. The music was blasting out loudly and Kurt quickly pressed his free hand against an ear, looking a little uncomfortable. Blaine squeezed his hand and, with a quick word to Finn as to where they were going, pulled Kurt down a hallway.

At the end of the hallway lay the expansive kitchen of the McKinnon house. It was much quieter, especially when Blaine closed the door to effectively shut the majority of the noise out. Kurt sighed and tried to smile at him but Blaine wasn't buying it for a second.

"Kurt, if you want to go home, we can go right now. The others are probably already drunk – they won't know, let alone care if we're gone."

Kurt shook his head and said quietly, "Non, je veux rester."

_No, I want to stay_.

Blaine took his boyfriend's hands and looked him in the eye.

"I want to be really clear, Kurt. If for one second you don't feel safe, or you want to go home for _any _reason, you just tell me, okay? No matter what. I promised your dad I'd bring you home safe, so can you promise me that?"

Kurt nodded. "Je te le promets."

With a smile, Blaine said, "Good. Now you can come here if things get too loud or something, but did you want to come back out with me?"

"Oui," Kurt smiled, not letting go of his boyfriend's hand as they made their way back to the party.

* * *

><p><strong>Sunday Morning<br>7:45 AM**

Blinking his eyes open blearily, Blaine groaned. His head _still_ hurt like someone was giving it a onceover with a jackhammer. Staring at the unfamiliar ceiling, Blaine frowned before it all came flooding back. He remembered where he was. And more importantly, why he was here.

Sitting up, Blaine let his head fall into his hands. He didn't move for a long while, hoping that maybe when he looked up his head wouldn't be pounding _still_ and he'd be back home (_the only place that had ever felt like home_) and no one would be mad at him and everything would be okay.

But when he looked up and stared at the blank opposite wall, he knew he couldn't take back what he'd done. He could never take that back and he could never do it over.

And Kurt was never going to forgive him.

* * *

><p><strong>Friday Night<br>9:31 PM**

He wasn't drunk enough not to realise that he was going to be in some serious trouble when he got back home.

But he _was_ drunk enough not to care.

Blaine downed the last mouthful of his drink (he had no idea what it was anymore; most of the alcohol had been mixed together to create some sort of evil concoction) and laughed heartily – for what reason, he didn't know. This was why he liked being drunk. It took the edge off things. He didn't have to worry about anything and all his problems seemed to just disappear.

Apart from the fact that someone was probably going to kill him. He couldn't quite remember who, but he knew it had something to do with Kurt. Thinking of Kurt, he looked around to find him but all he saw were his heavily drinking friends. Some were dancing; Mercedes and Sam, at least half of the Warblers, Quinn and Finn – all uncoordinated and sloppy due to the alcohol. Blaine didn't remember when either he or Finn had started drinking (they weren't supposed to, were they?) but at some point water had turned into vodka and that had become tequila and that was about where Blaine lost the track. Some of his friends were off to the side, either half-asleep, drinking or making out. There seemed to be many in the last category; Santana was trying to suck Liam's face off, Tina and Mike were at it yet again, and Jeff was busy giving his boyfriend the biggest hickey Blaine had ever seen. And then there was Brittany – apparently she became 'stripper Brittany' when she was drunk and was currently giving a number of Warblers and Artie a show from the piano in the corner.

Kurt. He was supposed to be looking for Kurt. Blaine stumbled off to see if he could find his boyfriend, vaguely remembering telling him about going somewhere in particular. It took him a moment to recall just where that was, but soon enough he was staggering into the kitchen to find Kurt sat on the floor and hugging his knees. The boy looked up as he entered and got to his feet, grabbing Blaine by the shoulders and speaking quickly in French – Blaine didn't catch a word of it. He sounded upset though. As Kurt spoke a little slower, Blaine's subconscious began to automatically translate what he could hear.

"Je veux rentrer chez moi. Blaine, ramène-moi à la maison. S'il te plaît. On doit rentrer."

_I want to go home. Blaine, take me home. Please. We have to go home._

"Kurt," he slurred "Don't wanna go home."

"Blaine!" Kurt shook him "Please!"

The drunken boy simply pushed him lightly aside as he heard a screaming yell from the main party area. He grinned as he recognised both the voice and what it was suggesting.

"Spin the Bottle!" David was still yelling as Blaine got back to the party, not bothered to know if Kurt was following or not. The others were chanting along with him as Puck retrieved a whiskey bottle and everyone managed to form some sort of wonky oval shape on the ground so they could play. Blaine joined in, still grinning like a maniac. David spun first, landing on Santana, and there were hoots and cheers all around as David reached across the 'circle' and kissed her hard. It took a moment but finally Santana pushed him away and grabbed the bottle, giving it a good spin.

This went on for such a long time that Blaine zoned out for a while. When he shook himself back and his thoughts returned to the game at hand a good ten minutes had passed and the bottle was once again on Santana. She'd just finished a heated make out with her current boyfriend's brother, tiny Mason, and was pushing him aside to spin the bottle again.

This time the bottle pointed to Finn. Santana grinned and grabbed him, the kiss complete with tongue. Quinn shouted something Blaine assumed was an insult before Santana released her dazed-looking prey. With a little prodding from Sam, Finn finally spun the bottle, only for it to land on Rachel. The kiss was a little more awkward, more friendly than romantic or hot. When it was Rachel's turn to spin, everyone watched with eager eyes, all curious to know who she would have to kiss. And after what seemed liked forever, the bottle finally stopped.

Everyone stared at Blaine.

* * *

><p><strong>Sunday Morning<br>8:00 AM**

Blaine hadn't moved from his position of staring at the wall with his knees pressed against his chest, arms tightly wrapped around them, when Puck entered the room. The teenager sighed and shook Blaine roughly, startling him out of his reverie.

"I really screwed up." Blaine's voice was quiet and monotone. Puck nodded briefly. "Yeah, you kinda did."

"I didn't mean to."

"Why were you even drinking?" Puck asked "I thought you and Finn weren't supposed to."

"We weren't. I don't know how it happened. One minute we were sober and the next I was in the middle of a game of Spin the Bottle," Blaine said dejectedly, switching his stare from the wall to Puck. "How do I fix this?"

"Why the hell are you asking me?" Puck shrugged, heading for the door "I don't even know why you called me, let alone ask for help on getting back on Kurt's good side. Dude, I may be willing to protect that kid to within an inch of my life – and if you tell anyone that I'll kill you – but I don't know the first thing about how his head works. Nobody does. You were the closest to him – we thought you'd figured him out."

Blaine sighed, returning his gaze to the blank wall. "No. I never really understood him fully. I don't think anyone ever could. He's too special for that. Unique."

* * *

><p><strong>Friday Night<br>9:49 PM**

Warm lips were pressed against his before he even realised what the bottle pointing at him meant. For a fraction of a second he considered pushing the intruder away but he felt his body responding and tipping forward through no conscious action of his own. He smiled slightly and kissed back, revelling in the feel of the mouth against his. Despite what the others may have thought this was by no means his first kiss, but it had been such a long time since he'd properly kissed someone. Besides, this was a first kiss of sorts – his first kiss with Kurt.

Kurt.

And in that split second, he realised.

This wasn't Kurt.

This wasn't even _close_ to Kurt.

This was Rachel.

That thought had him shoving the girl away violently, pushing her back and staring at her in horror. Rachel just frowned at him in drunken confusion, her mind blurrier than his and probably not even understanding the severity of what they'd just done. The effects that the kiss would have on two relationships – Blaine's with Kurt and Rachel's twisted, semi non-existent one with Finn. Nobody else seemed to realise the consequences of what had just happened apart from Finn, who was staring at Rachel and Blaine with something akin to shock.

It was when he heard the small sob of the same emotion from behind him that everything came crashing down for Blaine.

He turned to see Kurt standing there, eyes wide and bright with tears. Before Blaine could stand the boy was gone, running out the door and disappearing into the night. Neither Finn nor Blaine were too drunk to realise that this was a very bad, very _horrible_ situation that had to be sorted _now_. They both scrambled to their feet and ran for the door, hearing the game continue on behind them as if nothing had happened. They raced outside and Blaine caught sight of Kurt heading for the car. Somehow he'd gotten the keys from Finn (but Blaine didn't think it was that hard, to be honest) and was in the driver's seat and speeding out of the driveway before Blaine could blink.

"You kissed my girlfriend."

Blaine rolled his eyes despite the situation. "She's not even your girlfriend, Finn."

"Oh. Yeah. But Kurt's pissed."

"I figured."

* * *

><p><strong>Sunday Afternoon<br>3:28 PM**

All the other members of New Directions had abandoned him when he'd needed them – and with good reason.

Santana had threatened to skin him (again) if he turned up at her place.

Mercedes and Tina had told him they'd known something like this had been bound to happen.

Artie and Mike had said they couldn't help.

Quinn had told him not to call her again.

Brittany had basically told him he was a terrible person and he should be ashamed of himself (at least, that was the message he got in between dolphins and cats).

Sam hadn't even picked up the phone.

And he hadn't bothered to call Rachel.

Blaine knew he'd messed up. Big time. This wasn't some small problem he could just talk over with Kurt and everything would be okay. This was huge. This was a betrayal to the one person he'd loved more than anything or anyone. He'd brutally backstabbed the most perfect person he'd ever had the fortune to meet. He'd ruined something so brilliant, so amazing, so _right_, with one stupid mistake and now everything he had with Kurt was gone. Months of friendship and a relationship. Just gone. Kurt wasn't speaking to him and Blaine wouldn't have been surprised if the boy never spoke to him again. It served him right. He'd been stupid and idiotic and just plain _dumb_.

But he couldn't go back and fix it, no matter how much he wanted to.

* * *

><p>'<strong>Friday Night'<br>12:09 AM**

It was going to take over an hour to get back to Lima, and it was already midnight when Finn and Blaine left the party. But it didn't really matter now that Kurt had already gone, right? At least, that was how Blaine rationalized it in his head. Kurt had left an hour earlier, so he would be making it home soon enough, and Finn and Blaine would eventually turn up later – perhaps everyone would be asleep and not notice. Maybe they wouldn't care.

Mike and Tina were leaving to head home early whilst everyone else was staying to party longer. So Finn and Blaine caught a ride with them, Mike driving with his girlfriend in the front seat and the boys in the back. Mike hadn't drunk as much as the others, but he was still tipsy enough to swerve a little as he drove down the long stretch of road. Blaine didn't really take much notice of it though - he was too busy trying to figure out how mad Kurt was going to be with him.

Of course he'd be mad. That would only be fair. But it wasn't as if Kurt had ever expressed any interest in kissing him. Why should he be mad? _Then again, I _am_ his boyfriend._

Blaine was a little disoriented from the alcohol. That was why he didn't understand what was going on when the car swerved dangerously to the side and back again, wobbling and shaking violently. The occupants of the car were thrown around, held back by their seatbelts. When it finally stopped rocking, Blaine shook his head and asked what had happened.

"Another car," Mike said, voice trembling a little "Almost hit us."

"Oh," was all Blaine said. Finn was white as a sheet, while Tina was suddenly silent, ceasing her giggling and chatter. Blaine didn't understand what all the fuss was about. They hadn't actually hit anything. They were okay. The other car was okay. What was the problem?

* * *

><p><strong>Sunday Afternoon<br>3:41 PM**

They could have died.

Blaine felt like knocking his head against the wall but he knew it wouldn't do anything to help. Nothing could ease his guilt and his fear and his absolute shock at what he'd done and the risks he'd taken a few nights previous. In his head, he listed every single stupid and wrong things he'd done, hating himself more and more as it grew longer.

He'd asked Burt to allow Kurt to go to the party.

He'd taken Kurt to a party where he'd know there would be alcohol and drunk kids.

He'd gotten drunk.

He'd played Spin the Bottle.

He'd kissed Rachel.

He'd let Kurt drive home alone when he was in no emotional state to be behind the wheel.

He'd gotten into a car with a drunk driver.

He'd almost been killed.

And then he'd gotten kicked out of the only place he'd really been able to call home.

* * *

><p>'<strong>Friday Night'<br>1:46 AM**

They finally made it back to the Hummel-Hudson home early in the morning. Mike dropped them off and the two boys stumbled towards the house, both hoping they wouldn't get caught. They knew they'd done something wrong but couldn't quite put their finger on what it was. Blaine knew that Kurt was mad, and if he was mad then his father usually was. And he was pretty sure there was something about alcohol as well.

Sneaking inside wasn't too hard. The door was already unlocked – and really, that should have been a warning – and the pair headed inside towards their separate rooms. But before they could split up in the dark hallway, the lights flicked on and blinded them momentarily.

When Blaine could see again, he realised two figures were standing a few paces away from him and Finn. Carole was watching them with disappointment, but it was Burt that scared the crap out of him – the man was glaring, arms folded, fury clear on his face.

"What the _hell _do you two think you're doing?"

Finn tried to stammer out some form of explanation, but his slurred voice and shaky movements tipped Burt off instantly. His expression grew from fury to absolute rage and Blaine ducked behind Finn, suddenly afraid.

"Are you _drunk_?" Burt demanded, even though it was obvious that he already knew.

"Burt," Carole interrupted him before anything could get too heated "Yell at them in the morning. They're drunk and probably won't remember it tomorrow."

Blaine was rather glad he was hiding behind Finn as his boyfriend's father glared, seemingly trying to decide whether to tear them to pieces or walk away. Eventually he decided on the latter (for which both boys were extremely grateful, considering they couldn't quite recall what it was they were going to get ripped limb from limb for) and stormed away down the hall, muttering to himself. Carole wasn't in much of a better mood, ordering the pair to bed in a furious tone, shaking her head as they meekly walked past her.

The moment Blaine got to his room he collapsed on the bed with a sigh. He contemplated changing out of his clothes for a brief second but then realised his bed _was_ rather comfortable.

He was asleep within five minutes.

* * *

><p><strong>Saturday Morning<br>5:50 AM**

Since he'd come to live at the Hummel-Hudson house, Blaine had become subject to the same rules and punishments that the other two boys lived under. He'd accepted that Burt and Carole were the authority and he lived under their roof, therefore their rules.

Which was he was rudely being awoken at some ungodly hour by Carole.

With Carole pushing him towards the door and the sound of someone crying vaguely resonating in his ears, and seeing Finn being tugged out of his room by Burt and his head still pounding, it was fair to say that Blaine was confused. But he let Carole lead him to the living room where Burt was depositing Finn on the couch. Blaine sat next to the taller teenager, wondering what this was about.

And then he remembered.

Everything.

"Oh God," he muttered to himself before looking up at Burt's furious face "I am _so _sorry, I don't…"

Burt interrupted him, speaking as calmly as he could despite the obvious rage he was holding back. "You're sorry? What exactly are you sorry for?"

Finn was looking absolutely miserable on his side of the couch, staring at the floor and blushing a bright red at having broken every single rule Burt had set the previous night. He spoke up quietly, not wanting to risk the wrath of Burt Hummel.

"We weren't supposed to drink."

"You're damn right you weren't!" The father's voice rose a little, too loud for the two boys' sensitive ears. They winced as he only got louder as he continued. "Not only that, and the fact you came home late – I'm not even angry about that. What I'm angry about is that you swore to me, both of you, that you would _look after Kurt_. And what happens? He comes home alone, _crying_. I can't understand what he's saying because he's so upset, but he's locked himself in his room and refuses to come out. Now, what the _hell_ happened last night?"

By the end of his rant Burt was shouting, and Carole had to put a hand on his shoulder to calm him. No one wanted a repeat of his earlier heart attack (Blaine had been filled in on that one when he'd moved in) and suddenly Blaine felt even worse than he already did. He'd hurt his boyfriend immensely, and he'd hurt Burt and Carole by breaking the conditions and not looking after Kurt as he'd said he would. He'd ruined everything.

"I'm waiting for an answer, boys," Burt snapped, switching his death glare between Finn and Blaine (now they knew where Kurt got it from). Finn was the first to speak up, tentatively and still staring at the ground to avoid eye contact with his stepfather.

"I don't know how it happened – honest. I mean, we didn't _want _to drink or anything, 'cause you said not to, but… I don't know, something happened and we…"

"Ended up drunk?" Carole supplied, to which Finn just nodded miserably.

"Does anyone care to explain to me why Kurt came home alone and crying?" Burt demanded.

Blaine couldn't bring himself to look into the man's eyes. He'd ruined the best thing that had ever happened to Burt's son, one of the few things that made him truly happy – how was he supposed to explain that? He could barely explain it to himself.

Finn, ever the helpful idiot, explained for him.

"He kissed Rachel."

Carole frowned. "Who kissed Rachel?"

"Blaine."

Blaine _knew_ that Burt was staring at him. And if he'd looked up he would have seen anger and disappointment and shock in the man's eyes. But he couldn't look up – he was too afraid and too full of guilt to be able to make himself.

_It's all my fault._

"Are you telling me that you got drunk and kissed Finn's girlfriend-"

"Ex," Finn supplied helpfully.

Burt continued as if his stepson hadn't spoken. "Which is why my son drove home alone and sobbing his heart out?"

Blaine still couldn't force himself to look up or even speak. He was still staring at the floor like Finn. He jumped when Burt shouted at him, voice like thunder.

"_Blaine Anderson_, answer me."

"Yes," Blaine whispered hoarsely.

There was a long silence. No one was quite sure what to say now. And it only grew longer and more awkward, the boys shuffling on the couch and the adults speechless. Finally though, Burt spoke again in a quiet and calm tone. The change scared Blaine more than almost anything else – almost. There was only one thing that scared him more at that moment. What Burt was actually saying.

"Blaine, I want you to leave."

Now he looked up, staring at Burt in shock. The man was impassive, a blank wall not doing quite enough to cover the anger and disappointment in his eyes.

"What?" Three voices asked at once.

Burt remained calm as he continued. "I want you out of this house. Away from my son."

"Burt, you can't throw him out." Carole tried to sway him but it seemed nothing would turn the man away from his chosen path now. He and Blaine locked eyes , both knowing this was the way it had to be.

"I think you need to get control of yourself," Burt said "And you need to think about what you've done to my son. Do you even understand how badly you've hurt him?"

He didn't let Blaine even open his mouth before speaking again. "Kurt was miserable before he met you. You made him happier than I've ever seen him. And now you've just taken all that away from him. You've broken his heart. And you need to stay away from him so he can try to fix it. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir," Blaine mumbled, getting to his feet shakily.

As he moved off to collect his things from his room, he heard Carole talking to her son.

"Don't think you're getting away with this either. You were just as much responsible for Kurt's safety as Blaine was. _You_messed up as well. You're grounded indefinitely, and you won't be going to either glee or football practice. Are we clear, Finn?"

He tried to protest, saying he needed to go to football practices because he was the quarterback, the team needed him, they couldn't win without him. Carole wasn't having any of it.

"Finn, I don't care. Maybe you should have thought about consequences before you started drinking."

* * *

><p><strong>Monday Morning<br>8:32 AM**

Blaine came to school as early as he could, hoping to find Kurt and talk to him. But he never got the chance. When Kurt arrived he was being closely guarded by various New Directions members. They refused to let Blaine anywhere near him – and they refused to speak to him. Only Rachel would, and all she gave him was an apology for her behaviour before leaving him as the others had. The group weren't too happy with Rachel or Finn either and they were mostly excluded from their conversations. But at least they were allowed near Kurt. To talk to him – not that he was talking at all. He was silent, eyes blank and red from crying.

Blaine was pretty sure no one could ever feel worse than he did. It wasn't physically possible. Seeing Kurt with his friends, not being able to go near him – it hurt _so_ much. And it was all his fault.

He finally got his chance to talk to Kurt that afternoon. Glee practice was over (Finn hadn't gone) and now Kurt was being escorted out of the building by Mercedes. Blaine knew this was his best and probably only chance so he took it. He ran towards them but Mercedes intercepted him.

"He doesn't want to talk to you," she said coldly.

Blaine tried to get her to listen. "Mercedes, please. Just for a minute. I have to make this right."

"You shouldn't have done something wrong in the first place."

"I know. But I have, and now I _need _to fix it. At least let me try."

Mercedes was about to refuse him, opening her mouth to tell him to disappear, but Kurt put a hand on her arm, reminding the two that he was still there. The girl sighed and nodded, walking a little way off to give them some privacy.

"I'm so sorry Kurt."

Kurt just looked at him impassively, not giving Blaine a single clue as to whether he was angry or upset or going to forgive him. Blaine continued, hoping the silence from the other was a good sign.

"I don't know what I was thinking. I should never have gotten drunk. I know that. I promised your father I wouldn't but I did. And then I…" He paused for a moment, shaking away the hazy memories of kissing Rachel. "I could try to excuse what I did because I was drunk, but I won't. You deserve a better explanation than that."

"Alors pourquoi tu l'as embrassée?" Kurt asked, tone guarded and trembling ever so slightly, a tiny reminder that he was incredibly hurt by what his boyfriend had done.

_So why did you kiss her?_

Blaine swallowed and said in a quiet voice, "Because I thought she was you."

Kurt blinked in confusion so Blaine elaborated. "When she kissed me, I thought it was you. So I kissed back. And then I realised it wasn't you, but by then it was too late. I am _so_sorry Kurt, I never wanted to hurt you. I never wanted to kiss Rachel."

He stopped, the next part of his speech obvious but remaining unsaid – until Kurt whispered it as a question, still confused and not understanding at all.

"Tu voulais m'embrasser?"

_You wanted to kiss me?_

"I still do, I guess," Blaine replied "And I have for a long time. But I understand that you're not ready. And you're kind of mad at me. But I hope you'll forgive me one day. I just wanted you to know that I never meant to do any of that. I don't know what happened that night but it will _never_ happen again. I'll make sure of that."

Kurt was silent, thinking this over. Blaine managed a smile and moved to leave, but the other stopped him with a hand on his shoulder, pulling him back to face him.

"Je crois que je peux te pardonner. Mais ne crois pas que j'oublierai ce qui s'est passé. Tu m'as pris pour _Rachel_."

_I think I can forgive you. But don't think I'll forget this. You thought I was _Rachel.

Blaine smiled. "Never again. Promise."

Kurt gave him a tentative smile in return and said, "Je crois que je sais quelle chanson nous devrions chanter pour l'école cette semaine."

_I think I know what song we should sing for the school this week._

* * *

><p><strong>Tuesday Afternoon<br>2:28 PM**

This was going to be a disaster.

Blaine couldn't believe the nerve of some of the glee club members, especially Rachel. She had decided that since everyone was worried about their performance in a few minutes, she would dose them all up with alcohol she'd stolen from her fathers. He, Kurt and Finn had stayed out of it, their warnings to the others going unheeded. For some reason they all thought that drinking was going to help them tell the rest of the school that alcohol was bad.

There were times when Blaine wished he was back at Dalton with the Warblers. Things never got this confusing there.

"We're on," Finn said as Figgins announced them. Blaine glanced back at the rest of the group, wondering if they were going to get through this. Some of them looked rather shaky or sick.

But then it was too late. The stage was waiting and Finn shoved Blaine on as the music started.

_There's a stranger in my bed  
>There's a pounding in my head<br>Glitter all over the room  
>Pink flamingos in the pool<br>I smell like a minibar  
>DJ's passed out in the yard<br>Barbie's on the barbeque  
>This a hicky or a bruise?<em>

The rest of New Directions made their way onto the stage as he sang, Artie singing the next few lines himself while behind him the others danced and mucked around.

_Pictures of last night  
>Ended up online<br>I'm screwed  
>Oh well<br>It's a blacked out blur  
>But I'm pretty sure it ruled<br>Damn_

Everyone joined in for the chorus, Blaine not able to hold back a wince as he caught sight of Santana looking deathly pale. Whatever Rachel had put in that concoction of hers didn't seem to be having a good effect on anyone at all.

_Last Friday night  
>Yeah, we danced on tabletops<br>And we took too many shots  
>Think we kissed but I forgot<em>

_Last Friday night  
>Yeah, we maxed our credit cards<br>And got kicked out of the bar  
>So we hit the boulevard<em>

_Last Friday night  
>We went streaking in the park<br>Skinny dipping in the dark  
>Then had a ménage à trois<em>

_Last Friday night  
>Yeah I think we broke the law<br>Always say we're gonna stop  
>Op-oh-oh<em>

_This Friday night  
>Do it all again<br>This Friday night  
>Do it all again<em>

Now Blaine was worried. Brittany wasn't dancing anymore – she was lurching around the stage like she was going to fall over. Mercedes caught her and set her back on her feet, but the blonde looked positively awful. It was her turn to sing now and she did so with an undercurrent of pain in her voice.

_Trying to connect the dots  
>Don't know what to tell my boss<br>Think the city towed my car  
>Chandelier is on the floor<br>Ripped my favourite party dress  
>Warrant's out for my arrest<br>Think I need a ginger ale  
>That was such an epic fail<em>

Then it was Artie's turn again, and even he was looking at Brittany with worry. Blaine and Finn shared a glance, both thinking the same thing – _This is _so_ not good._

_Pictures of last night  
>Ended up online<br>I'm screwed  
>Oh well<br>It's a blacked out-_

When Artie cut off and there was a loud gasp from the school audience, Blaine spun to see what had happened. What he saw wasn't pretty. Brittany had thrown up all over Artie and the poor boy was stunned. In some sort of chain reaction, a second later Santana followed suit, vomiting onto the stage. Mike had a hand to his mouth and neither Sam nor Quinn looked very well.

There was a shocked silence from the audience as the group slowly made their way backstage, embarrassed and ill. Finn stayed behind for a moment to address the school and Blaine, despite the situation, couldn't hold back a chuckle.

"Everyone drink responsibly."

* * *

><p><strong>Wednesday<br>9:30 AM**

"I cannot believe we got away with that," Puck sighed as the glee club walked away from Figgins' office. He'd just told them he thought their 'special effects' were spectacular and had worked wonders for the school. No one had corrected him. And now Mr Schue was furious and the group just relieved that they weren't in too much trouble.

As the Spanish teacher growled at them and told them what idiots they were, Blaine thought back to the past few days. He'd messed up in a way that he couldn't even believe – but Kurt had forgiven him. Of sorts. Burt was still angry and wasn't allowing Blaine to come back, though Kurt told him he was beginning to soften a little. For the time being he was still staying at Puck's place and for that he was grateful. The footballer had come through for him when he'd needed it most, when no one else would.

But the most important thing that he'd learned during the whole ordeal?

Kurt was the most amazing thing that had ever happened to him and he wasn't about to lose it again anytime soon.

* * *

><p><strong>Yes, I believe Burt was more than justified in kicking Blaine out. <strong>

**(I actually planned on using LFN before I heard they were putting it in the show. Now it almost seems weird writing it here.)**

**Next: So they survived the Warbler party. But now there's a new challenge ahead - Regionals. New Directions will have to rise to the occasion if they want to bring the house down and go to New York. And you might want to check out what's happening backstage...**


	14. Bringing The House Down

**So here I am! And here's Worlds Apart, with a brilliant new update (if I do say so myself ;P)!**

**I've said it a hundred times before, but I love each and every one of you who reads this fic, you mean so much to me. And you reviewers are just amazing. Every time I get the email saying I have a new review, I can't help but think it's something bad. But then you go and make me smile and I love you all for it!**

**Shout outs to TanyaUchiha (Welcome back! I missed you!), Ittlebitz, The Songbirds Are Singing (for a review that made me laugh like a maniac), When-I-Die, and Jennyanydots (I wish I could reply to your review, it was absolutely beautiful and all kinds of brilliant and I loved it!). And a massively huge thank you to Verdandil for the amazing work of translating Kurt's French - seriously guys, go shower this wonderful person in all your love. **

**And now, without further ado, I bring you a (much-anticipated, I believe) chapter of Worlds Apart!**

* * *

><p><span>Bringing The House Down<span>

**Regionals is upon the glee clubs and while the Warblers a ready to rock it, New Directions still seems to be having some issues. But when you're a family (and New York is on the line), you do what you have to and this year's Regionals will certainly be unforgettable. Featuring ND bitching, sensible Tina, some well-deserved and much needed solos for a certain two Warblers, some Quick angst and a sweet surprise that's been a long time coming.**

This was possibly the most important day New Directions would ever have to face. But Will was sure that they would rise to the challenge and sweep through Regionals to take the trophy.

He knew they'd been having some trouble lately amongst themselves. Since the Valentine's Day drama, Rachel and Quinn were still locked in their own little competitive world for Finn, and he'd heard _all_ about that party where Blaine had kissed Rachel and lost the respect of the entire group. With all the whispers and the pointed ignoring of the poor kid and the massive fight that had exploded in the choir room one practice when Finn had blamed Blaine for his predicament at home, it was hard not to notice what was going on with the kids.

And then there was the song writing, which hadn't gone to plan for quite a while until Rachel came in one day saying she had the perfect song, and the group had managed to come up with what Will thought was a damn good anthem. So at least that was under control. A little last minute, but under control.

He hoped that, since today was so important to all of them, they would all be able to overcome whatever difficulties they still had with each other in order to win Regionals. They needed to. If they didn't, they wouldn't be going to New York and who knew what Figgins would do to the glee club? There was a lot riding on this performance.

But the atmosphere in the bus on the way to the competition wasn't exactly reassuring.

"Kurt, come and sit with me," Santana offered, shooting the boy beside him the subtlest of glares. Blaine either didn't see it or just ignored it, sighing and resting his head against the window. Kurt shook his head firmly and said, "Je veux m'asseoir avec Blaine."

_I want to sit with Blaine._

"Kurt," Mercedes tried. It was Will's turn to sigh now. Despite the obvious fact that Kurt and Blaine had made up after that unfortunate incident he'd heard about, the rest of the group weren't letting the former Warbler off too easily. But Will needed them to focus on the competition now else they wouldn't be going anywhere. Rachel should understand that. But the diva was being miserable up the back of the bus near Artie. There was so much tension and resentment in the air that it made Will want to just tell them all to get over it – their futures in glee club were at stake and he didn't want to watch it all crumble away because they couldn't work together.

"No!" Kurt yelled suddenly, surprising everyone. Will's gaze was drawn to the boy who was now standing (not exactly the safest thing to do on a moving bus), gripping the back of the seat to keep himself steady, and glaring at all of his friends individually. Some averted their eyes when he looked at them; others stared back with intrigue and slight confusion. When Kurt spoke, it was in a low tone that carried across his anger and frustration in a way his words couldn't.

"Arrête de me dire quoi faire! J'ai pardonné Blaine et tu devrais respecter ça! Tu n'as pas besoin de l'aimer, mais tu peux au moins avoir la décence de me laisser faire mes propres decisions!"

_Stop telling me what to do! I hate it! I forgave Blaine and you should just respect that! You don't have to like him but you can at least have the decency to let me make my own decisions!_

At the end of his rant, Kurt sat back down next to his boyfriend and took his hand. Blaine smiled tiredly at him and squeezed it reassuringly. The rest of the group was either stunned speechless or just didn't want to say anything.

Will turned back in his seat, hoping that for the most part, the issues between the glee members were over.

If they were going to win, they had to be.

* * *

><p>By the time they'd reached their destination, absolutely no progress had been made.<p>

Will had had to check the glee club in while they bickered and glared and ignored each other, separating into little groups depending on whose side they were on. It had been beyond embarrassing as he'd walked them down the hall with the teenagers muttering in the background, other contestants and guests glancing at the curiously. The Warblers had been sighted and just as Will had waved an obligatory but friendly greeting, half of the New Directions had sent them the darkest looks ever seen. The Warblers had lost their smiles and frowned in confusion as the group passed them by.

Upon reaching the green room, Will had reached the limit of his patience. Once everyone was inside, he fixed them all with a piercing, annoyed stare – that most ignored.  
>"I have had enough of this," he said shortly "As of this minute, you are all going to be locked in this room. I expect you to have sorted out whatever difficulties you're having with each other <em>and<em> be ready to perform by the time we are required to be in the audience for Aural Intensity and the Warblers. If you haven't worked things out, there is no doubt that we will lose Regionals and our chance at New York, as well as put this glee club in serious jeopardy. You all need to be working together as a group, and the family that I know you've become, if you want to make it past this stage – so sort this out!"

Will nodded in satisfaction at the stunned looks on the teenagers' faces before walking out the door and locking it behind him. His tactics might be a little unorthodox and potentially eyebrow-raising, but he didn't have a choice.

He wasn't going to let them throw everything away when they were so close to attaining their dreams.

* * *

><p>As the clicking of the lock echoed in the deathly silence, Finn looked around at his friends and sighed.<p>

"Well that sucks."

"Well it's your fault," Santana snapped, glaring at him "If you and Blaine hadn't been such idiots at that party, we wouldn't be in this mess."

Finn's face screwed up in confusion as Quinn jumped to defend her new boyfriend. "It wasn't his fault. It's Rachel's fault for kissing Blaine. She should have known it would have consequences and backed off."

"Blaine and Finn were supposed to stay sober!" Rachel shot back angrily, hands on her hips "It's hardly my fault if they got drunk! I was simply playing the game."

"Guys…" Tina tried, but failed under the loud, booming voice of Puck.

"Yeah, Blaine was stupid, but Kurt's totally forgiven him so I don't get why you're all still arguing about it!" Finn agreed with his friend, nodding his head fervently. Meanwhile, chaos erupted over whose fault it was that the two boys had gotten drunk, and if Rachel was to blame (the club was evenly split on that one), and whether Blaine should be allowed around Kurt, and then the conversation turned into a 'let's all watch Quinn and Rachel scream at each other for no particular reason'. Blaine and Kurt stayed silent, the former not wanting to get into any more trouble and the latter too busy fuming at his friends' treatment of his boyfriend to be able to speak.

"HEY!"

Everyone fell silent at Mike's loud shout. The boy cleared his throat and said in a quieter voice when all was quiet, "Tina has been trying to say something."

The Asian girl blushed but spoke up now that she had the chance. "You all need to stop. This is why Will locked us in here. We can't just sit here and argue all night. We have to work this out if we want to get out on that stage and win."

"Well, conflict will help me sing my song," Rachel said, tossing her head defiantly "And I don't have any issues with anyone. You all have issues with me."

"See, Rachel, that's just it. You're so condescending and bossy," Tina said before Quinn could tear into her again "You need to lose the attitude. Sure, you can write songs…"

Finn sniggered.

"…and you have a solo tonight, but this is about all of us. And how dare you all argue about Blaine and Kurt like they're not even here!" Tina gestured to the pair she was talking about, turning to them and addressing them directly "Guys, I think that if you're okay – which Kurt, you've clearly said you are – then that should be the end of it. Blaine, you're not perfect and we know that. But you – and Kurt – are better than the rest of us because at least you've sorted your problems out."

Tina looked back to her friends, linking hands with her own boyfriend. "We want to get to New York, right? So let's put all this drama behind us."

* * *

><p>They had been arguing over whether to go knock on the green room door or not for ten minutes now, and it was annoying the hell out of Jeff. Couldn't they just make a decision already?<p>

"But remember Blaine said they were still mad with us for that party," David said.

Cameron snorted, "Well, that was hardly our fault."

Thad just rolled his eyes at him. "Look, Blaine got hurt. And so did Kurt, who's our friend too. I don't care what the rest of his 'friends' think, I want to find out how they're going."

Then Mason spoke up to add to Jeff's frustration. "Did you _see _the way they looked at us when they walked past before? They wanted to kill us!"

"And Blaine looked utterly miserable!"

"Oh my god!" Jeff sighed loudly and stalked towards the green room door, marked with the name of their opponent for the upcoming competition. He knocked twice and waited, hearing the rest of the group join him. There was the sound of muffled conversation and then a call for them to – unlock the door? Jeff frowned and flicked the lock on the doorknob before opening it cautiously.

Inside, the New Directions were in various states of annoyance, anger, boredom or they were just plain upset. Jeff instantly sought out his friend and Blaine smiled when he saw his former group in the doorway.

"Mind if we borrow Blaine for a while?" he asked "And Kurt, of course."

Blaine didn't even bother waiting for anyone to speak – he was out of his seat and running for the door with Kurt in seconds. The Warblers parted to let them through and Jeff nodded and smiled to the remainder of the group in the room before closing the door. None of them seemed to mind.

As soon as the door was shut, Blaine was crushed in a massive Warbler hug, the entire team engulfing him and laughing. They did their best not to crowd Kurt too much, knowing how it might affect him, but only let Blaine up when he objected, saying he couldn't breathe.

"It's only been like, a week or two guys," Blaine grinned, too happy to really care "You're acting like you haven't seen me for months."

"We miss you!" Mason and Liam chorused with a laugh.

"How are you?" Thad asked, switching his gaze between Blaine and Kurt "I mean, you told us what happened after Cameron's…"

The former Warbler sighed, rubbing a hand across his face. Kurt took his free hand and smiled slightly at him, encouraging him to tell them what was going on.

"It's been crazy. Half the group still blames me for what happened – I blame myself as well – and I'm still staying at Puck's for the moment. But Mr Schue just locked us all in there to get us to sort out our problems before we sing. There's so much going on at the moment I think we're all a little stressed and taking it out on each other."

Blaine went on to explain briefly, with a little help from his boyfriend, the circumstances surrounding the different issues with each of the New Directions members. Jeff was lost by the time he got to Finn and Rachel and Quinn and just gave up. And when the Warblers were thoroughly confused by their opponent's twisted and convoluted relationship and friendship difficulties, Blaine just laughed and asked them what they were performing for the competition.

"Ah, we can't tell you," Wes smirked "You'll find out soon enough."

"Well, we can't tell you what we're singing either," Blaine shot back.

The boys laughed, a few who were fluent in French asking Kurt how he was coping and what being Blaine's boyfriend was like. Kurt just chuckled and replied, "C'est difficile, mais c'est ça l'amour. Et je l'aime."

_It's difficult, but that's love. And I love him._

There were gagging noises and 'awws' all around once the translation had reached each of the Warbler boys. Kurt just grinned and Blaine wrapped an arm around his boyfriend's waist, pulling him close.

"Blaine, Kurt. What's going on?"

The Warblers parted for the owner of the familiar voice. Will had returned to find out how his strategy had worked out and was raising an eyebrow at the fact two of his group had made it past the locked door.

"Just talking with my friends," Blaine reassured him "The others are sorting things out pretty well actually. We might be able to pull Regionals off after all."

"Don't count on it," Jeff said confidently "You'd be surprised at what we managed to pull out after you left."

"Well, we have fifteen minutes until we have to be out there to watch Aural Intensity. You boys," Will said, directing his last comment to the Dalton glee club kindly "Might want to get going."

The Warblers quickly said their goodbyes to get to their seats, and sooner than perhaps they would have liked, the New Directions were changed, make up on, hair done, and on their way to watch Aural Intensity perform. There was still tension amongst the group but no one was screaming at each other and there was no hair pulling or throats being ripped out. It seemed to be a success so far.

* * *

><p>Aural Intensity's performance was okay in Blaine's opinion, but there was no way they were going to win. Not with the New Directions pulling out original songs. But up next were the Warblers and now that they didn't have their lead soloist (he smiled to himself) there was no telling what they might come up with. He settled back in his seat, glancing at Kurt as the group was announced to the stage.<p>

"I wonder what they're going to sing."

"Peu importe ce que c'est, ça va être brillant."

_Whatever it is, it'll be brilliant._

The pair smiled and looked back to the stage where the Warblers were assembled. There was no indication of who was singing or what song it was just yet, but when the harmonies burst out from the background singers, Blaine grinned and whispered to Kurt, "Why am I not surprised that it's Train again?"

His grin widened when Jeff stepped out of formation and began to sing.

_Now that she's back in the atmosphere  
>With drops of Jupiter in her hair, hey, hey<br>She acts like summer and walks like rain  
>Reminds me that there's time to change, hey, hey<br>Since the return from her stay on the moon  
>She listens like spring and she talks like June, hey, hey, hey, hey<em>

It was about time that Jeff got his chance to sing. Blaine knew that so many of the boys had been fighting for solos while he'd been their soloist, and he'd always felt bad for taking away their chances. Some had even stopped auditioning, knowing that they wouldn't get it no matter what they did. But now here was their chance and it seemed Jeff had jumped at the opportunity.

_Tell me did you sail across the sun  
>Did you make it to the Milky Way to see the lights all faded<br>And that heaven is overrated_

_Tell me, did you fall for a shooting star  
>One without a permanent scar<br>And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there_

Jeff stood out in front of the rest of his teammates, singing beautifully and with a wide smile on his face. Blaine caught his eye and gave him a thumbs-up – which made his smile grow and pride spread across the blonde's face.

_Now that she's back from that soul vacation  
>Tracing her way through the constellation, hey, hey, mmm<br>She checks out Mozart while she does tae-bo  
>Reminds me that there's room to grow, hey, hey<em>

_Now that she's back in the atmosphere  
>I'm afraid that she might think of me as plain ol' Jane<br>Told a story about a man who was too afraid to fly so he never did land_

The Warblers were doing so well, the harmonies flowing smoothly behind Jeff and the blonde commandeered the stage for his own, the audience thoroughly enjoying the performance. Blaine had the sneaking suspicion that they had something else they were going to show off – something to surprise them all – and he was sure it was going to be amazing.

It was the Warblers. How could it not be amazing?

_Tell me did the wind sweep you off your feet  
>Did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day<br>And head back to the Milky Way  
>And tell me, did Venus blow your mind<br>Was it everything you wanted to find  
>And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there <em>

_Can you imagine no love, pride, deep-fried chicken  
>Your best friend always sticking up for you even when I know you're wrong<br>Can you imagine no first dance, freeze dried romance, five-hour phone conversation  
>The best soy latte that you ever had . . . and me<em>

"He's good," he heard someone - Quinn? - mutter under their breath. Blaine nodded to himself with a smile. He'd always known there'd been some remarkable talent in the group that just hadn't had the chance to shine – until now. And Jeff's talent was undeniable. He had the crowd watching his every small move, hanging on every drawn out note and lyric, and he'd put so much familiarity and warmth into the song that it felt like the song was directed to every single individual in the hall, that it was a song about everyone and for everyone.

_Tell me did the wind sweep you off your feet  
>Did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day<br>And head back toward the Milky Way_

_Tell me did you sail across the sun  
>Did you make it to the Milky Way to see the lights all faded<br>And that heaven is overrated _

_Tell me, did you fall for a shooting star  
>One without a permanent scar<br>And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there_

The group ended the song there, fading out nicely to a round of applause. Jeff bowed and grinned, ducking back into his position in the Warbler ranks. No one was more impressed than Blaine, getting to his feet and clapping hardest of all.

As Nick stepped forward and the boys on stage broke out into a new but instantly familiar set of tones, Blaine laughed and settled back in his seat. He'd been right – the Warblers did have something up their sleeve after all.

_Right, right, turn off the lights  
>We gonna lose our minds tonight<br>What's the deal, yo?  
>I love when it's all too much<br>5 a.m. turn the radio up  
>Where's the rock 'n roll?<em>

_Party crasher, panty snatcher  
>Call me up if you are gangsta<br>Don't be fancy, just get dancy  
>Why so serious?<em>

The entire audience was on their feet by this point, clapping to the beat and calling out praise and encouragement, loving the song. Nick was owning it, sliding across the stage like he was born to be up there, smirking and singing and dancing his heart out. The other Warblers were right behind him as well, each and every one of them absolutely perfect. As they danced their way into the chorus, Blaine and half of New Directions was singing along with them – to his surprise.

_So raise your glass if you are wrong  
>In all the right ways, all my underdogs<br>We will never be, never be anything but loud  
>And nitty gritty<br>Dirty little freaks  
>Won't you come on and come on and<br>Raise your glass!  
>Just come on and come on and<br>Raise your glass!_

Nick was so smooth as he got the audience into the performance, his feet moving so fast Blaine could barely see. The Warblers that could also dance and had some sort of training were tossing off moves in the background. Jeff was one of them, drawing a lot of the attention alongside his boyfriend and David as they took up the front of the stage and danced together.

_Slam, slam, oh hot damn  
>What part of a party don't you understand?<br>Wish you'd just freak out  
>Can't stop, coming in hot<br>I should be locked up right on the spot  
>It's so on right now<em>

_Party crasher, panty snatcher  
>Call me up if you're a gangsta<br>Don't be fancy, just get dancy  
>Why so serious?<em>

Now all of New Directions were on their feet and singing along, joining most of the crowd watching the Warblers. Blaine laughed as he looked around at his friends enjoying themselves, not caring that this was their opponent, that they were supposed to be angry at each other, that they had issues and problems to deal with. This was what music was about and Blaine was so glad that the Warblers had managed to show the McKinley kids how unity and team spirit worked. Otherwise they would never be making it to the stage for their own performance.

_So raise your glass if you are wrong  
>In all the right ways, all my underdogs<br>We will never be, never be anything but loud  
>And nitty gritty<br>Dirty little freaks  
>Won't you come on and come on and<br>Raise your glass!  
>Just come on and come on and<br>Raise your glass!  
>Just come on and come on and<br>Raise your glass!  
>Just come on and come on and<br>Raise your glass!_

Not only was Nick good at the singing and the dancing, he was excellent at the comedy side of performing. He acted his way through the bridge, eliciting laughs and giggles from the audience – particularly whatever teenage girls happened to be watching.

_Uh, damn, my glass is empty  
>That sucks!<em>

_So if you're too school for cool  
>And you're treated like a fool<br>You could choose to let it go  
>We can always, we can always party on our own<em>

This was possibly one of the best competition performances Blaine had ever seen from the Warblers – including the ones he'd been a part of. There was something different about this one. The energy wasn't the same, or the feelings of excitement being soaked up by the crowd. There was so much more determination to succeed but laced with a desire to just have fun. Someone must have got the stick out of Wes's ass.

_So raise your  
>So raise your glass if you are wrong<br>In all the right ways, all my underdogs  
>We will never be, never be anything but loud<br>And nitty gritty  
>Dirty little freaks<em>

_So raise your glass if you are wrong_  
><em>In all the right ways, all my underdogs<em>  
><em>We will never be, never be anything but loud<em>  
><em>And nitty gritty<em>  
><em>Dirty little freaks<em>  
><em>Won't you come on and come on and<em>  
><em>Raise your glass!<em>  
><em>Just come on and come on and<em>  
><em>Raise your glass!<em>  
><em>Won't you come on and come on and<em>  
><em>Raise your glass for me!<em>  
><em>Just come on and come on and<em>  
><em>Raise your glass for me!<em>

The walls were probably shaking with the amount of applause the boys on stage were receiving – none more enthusiastic than Blaine. He was so proud of his friends. They'd proved they were more than a soloist with backing. They were _so_ good, with so much talent hidden within its ranks. They could pull dance moves out of thin air and work them into a routine. Kurt was just as passionate with his applause for the boys who had started to become another set of friends to him. And the rest of the New Directions were cheering for the Warblers as well. As Blaine looked around, he knew that even though they had their own original songs, it was going to be tough to beat a performance that had a reception like that.

* * *

><p>"Hey Blaine, can we talk to you?" Mercedes asked quietly.<p>

The boy in question turned, hand still in Kurt's as the glee club made their way backstage. They were due to perform any minute now and really, they didn't have the time to be talking, but the tone of Mercedes's voice told him that he both needed to hear this and she needed to say it.

"We want to apologise," she continued, gesturing to most of their friends behind her "And to you, Kurt. We didn't trust your judgement when you said you'd forgiven Blaine and we should have. And Blaine, even though you hurt Kurt and there's no way any of us are going to forget that, we should have been there for you when Burt kicked you out, and we shouldn't have acted the way we did, especially after Kurt told us the two of you were okay."

"Yeah, I totally shouldn't have yelled at you the other day," Finn said, referencing the fight in which he'd blamed Blaine for his grounding "It wasn't your fault. I was just frustrated."

Blaine smiled. "Thanks guys, but really, you had every right to be mad at me. I made a promise to you and Kurt and I broke that. It's certainly no fun having all of you angry with me, but I kind of deserved it."

"Hey, we're apologising," Santana snapped "I don't do this every day, so just accept it so we can move on."

With a chuckle from most of the group, Blaine held up his hands in mock surrender and said, "Okay! Thank you. It's good we got this sorted."

"Exactly," Rachel piped up "Because I'm due on stage now and New York is on the line!"

The girl marched off, the rest of the glee club following her to get into position. As Puck moved to go, Blaine grabbed his arm to keep him back a moment.

"I know I've already said it, but thank you for letting me stay at your place. I have no idea where I'd be if you hadn't."

Puck just shrugged, replying, "Whatever dude. I would have kicked you out if you weren't back with Kurt. And Burt's totally gonna let you back eventually, so it's not like it's permanent or anything."

Blaine smiled and the three headed towards their places for the performance – they were being announced on stage at that moment. Blaine glanced over at his boyfriend and Kurt grinned, excited. And they had all the reason in the world to be so. This was Regionals, their chance for New York and Nationals. They were singing their own original songs, their own anthem that showed the world what it was like to be them, but that they didn't care how bad it got – it would get better. While Rachel had written her solo performance – which she was singing now, a sad, heartbreaking song she'd called Get It Right – the whole group had contributed on the second song, meaning there were a lot more solo opportunities. It was _their_ song.

_So I throw up my fist, throw a punch in the air  
>And accept the truth that sometimes life isn't fair<br>Yeah I'll send out a wish, yeah I'll send up a prayer  
>And finally someone will see how much I care<em>

"I love you," Blaine said quietly, distracting Kurt from the song long enough for him to glance over, smile and give him a quick hug. "Je t'aime aussi."

"You're so good, you know that?" Blaine continued "I mean, you didn't have to take me back."

Kurt raised one eyebrow slowly at him. "Je n'ai jamais eu l'idée que tu étais parti."  
><em><br>I never thought you'd left.  
><em>  
>The former Warbler grinned at that and chuckled lightly. "Fair enough. Come on, let's rock this, hey?"<p>

As Rachel faded out and applause rang throughout the performance hall, Blaine took Kurt's hand and they walked out onto the stage along with the rest of the New Directions. Rachel was bowing slightly and as she excitedly introduced her friends to the audience, the new music for their anthem began to play and quickly she burst into the first lyrics.

_Yeah, you may think that I'm a zero  
>But hey, everyone you wanna be<br>Probably started off like me  
>You may say that I'm a freak show<br>(I don't care)  
>But, hey, give it just a little time<br>I bet you're gonna change your mind_

The crowd was already up on their feet by this point as Santana strutted out and sang her lines with pride and the perfect amount of bitchy sassiness. The group danced behind her, each and every one of them having forgotten the arguments of just a few minutes ago and instead just bringing their best to the song.

_All of the dirt you've been throwin' my way  
>It ain't so hard to take, that's right<br>'Cause I know one day you'll be screamin' my name  
>And I'll just look away, that's right<em>

All of New Directions belted out the chorus and Blaine just looked around at all of them as he sang with them, smiling at how focused they were and how much they were enjoying themselves. How united they were in the face of defeat. They had their difficulties with each other but they were proving that every member could come together and fight if they needed to.

_Just go ahead and hate on me and run your mouth  
>So everyone can hear<br>Hit me with the worst you got and knock me down  
>Baby, I don't care<br>Keep it up and soon enough you'll figure out  
>You wanna be<br>You wanna be  
>A loser like me<br>A loser like me_

Finn sang now and the audience was cheering him along. He wasn't as coordinated as the rest of the group when it came to the choreography but he was doing his best to keep up. He certainly had the watching judges and other people in the palm of his hand, shouting encouragement and some – Blaine saw some of the Warblers joining in on this – pumping their fists in the air.

_Push me up against the locker  
>And hey, all I do is shake it off<br>I'll get you back when I'm your boss_

Blaine strode to the front of the stage with Sam and pointed out into the audience as he sang alongside his friend, grinning at the cheers and calls he got from the Warblers. He knew if he was still with them and at Dalton he would have gotten an entire solo for Regionals, but as much as he missed them he wouldn't change anything for the world.

_I'm not thinkin' 'bout you haters  
>'Cause hey, I could be a superstar<br>I'll see you when you wash my car_

Blaine stepped back and let Mike, Puck and Artie take over the next verse, voices fitting together perfectly as they always did. There wasn't enough praise for the three boys, half the people watching singing along now that they knew the words.

_All of the dirt you've been throwin' my way  
>It ain't so hard to take, that's right<br>'Cause I know one day you'll be screamin' my name  
>And I'll just look away, that's right<em>

Blaine had to hold back a laugh mid-lyric as he and the rest of the glee club danced their way into the hearts of every single person in the hall. Even the judges were smiling – albeit barely noticeable. New Directions had this prize in the bag and everyone knew it. But the best was still to come – in Blaine's opinion.

_Just go ahead and hate on me and run your mouth  
>So everyone can hear<br>Hit me with the worst you got and knock me down  
>Baby, I don't care<br>Keep it up and soon enough you'll figure out  
>You wanna be<br>You wanna be  
>A loser like me<br>A loser like me  
>A loser like me<em>

The girls – Tina, Quinn, Brittany and Mercedes – formed a line and left the others behind them. In the middle of their line was Kurt, and his voice rang out as the girls backed him up. They all held out their hands, fingers in the shape of L's, and Blaine knew Kurt was loving this more than he would ever admit.

_Hey, you, over there  
>Keep the L up-up in the air<br>Hey, you, over there  
>Keep the L up, 'cause I don't care<br>You can throw your sticks, and you can throw your stones  
>Like a rocket, just watch me go<br>Yeah, L-O-S-E-R  
>I can only be who I are<em>

Reforming, the New Directions were one unit, one group, one family as they finished their original song. Mercedes was clear in the background, Rachel strong, Finn beneath both of them, Blaine and Kurt side by side and dancing, the audience shouting back every word of the song, Aural Intensity and the Warblers not caring that they were more than sure to lose.

There was nothing better than this.

_Just go ahead and hate on me and run your mouth  
>So everyone can hear<br>Hit me with the worst you got and knock me down  
>Baby, I don't care<br>Keep it up and soon enough you'll figure out  
>You wanna be<br>You wanna be  
>A loser like me<em>

At this point, Mike had dashed off stage and was coming back with a fake slushy machine, red confetti churning away inside. As he passed each of the singers they grabbed a cup of confetti from him and smirked at each other. Blaine, with his free arm, grabbed Kurt around the waist and held his cup high, the others copying the latter action as they told the world just what they'd always wanted to say.

_Just go ahead and hate on me and run your mouth  
>So everyone can hear<br>Hit me with the worst you got and knock me down  
>Baby, I don't care<br>Keep it up and soon enough you'll figure out  
>You wanna be<br>You wanna be  
>A loser like me (A loser like me)<br>A loser like me (A loser like me)  
>A loser like me<em>

A wave of shining red confetti rained down over the first few rows of the audience as the group threw their 'slushies' and the music cut, signalling the end of their emotion-packed performance. The crowd was still cheering for them while they bowed and some of the girls blew kisses. Eventually they made their way off the stage and the moment they were away from prying eyes, they all pulled each other into a group hug.

"Guys," Finn grinned, looking around at all of them "I think we just won Regionals."

There were shouts all round interspersed with hugs and kisses on the cheek or lips. Santana grabbed Brittany around the waist and was laughing, Sam and Mercedes celebrated with a chaste forehead kiss, Artie and Mike high fived each other, Rachel reluctantly bumped fists with Puck – this was the New Directions that they had lost for a little while amongst the petty arguments and fights. This was the slightly twisted family Blaine knew they were.

He turned to Kurt, preparing to hug him or congratulate him on a brilliant almost-solo. But he was taken completely by surprise when Kurt lunged at him, still smiling, wrapped his arms around his neck, and crashed their lips together.

In the split-second that Blaine didn't know what was going on, he shoved Kurt away out of shock. He hadn't expected that whatsoever and it had stunned him into just reacting. When his brain finally caught up with what was going on – _Kurt just kissed me_ – he realised that had been entirely the wrong thing to do. Not only did it say he didn't want to kiss Kurt (which he most _certainly_ did), it had scared him and now the pale brunette just stood there, trembling, hand to his mouth. Blaine – and the rest of New Directions – stared as Kurt choked out "I'm sorry!" before stumbling back and running.

"Can someone explain to me what just happened?" Tina said, one hand on her hip, blinking in confusion and staring at Blaine; as were the others, all just as surprised as she was. Blaine swallowed and almost tripped as he scrambled to follow his boyfriend, tossing an "I'll be back" over his shoulder as some sort of explanation.

He left his friends behind and raced down the corridors that constituted backstage to find Kurt. He was having a hard time locating him – none of the staff had seen him and after a few minutes Blaine was beginning to get desperate. How many places could there be to hide? And then a sudden thought occurred to him – Kurt had been scared. Where else would he go but somewhere he thought was safe? He backtracked and made his way towards their allocated green room, hoping he was right. As he neared the room he heard the sounds of familiar crying and his heart dropped.

Skidding to a stop outside the door, he tried the handle. It was unlocked and he pushed it open, looking inside to find his boyfriend. Kurt was curled up on one of the couches, knees to his chest and hands to his face. He was still shaking but Blaine knew this was nothing like his panic attacks. This was just plain shock and horror.

"Kurt?" He didn't want to scare him. Regardless, the boy jumped and lifted his head, staring at the other in terror. Before Blaine could say anything though, Kurt got to his feet and ran to him, slamming into his boyfriend and holding him tightly like he was afraid he was going to disappear if he let go.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry," Kurt kept repeating, mumbling and crying into his boyfriend's shoulder. Blaine couldn't move – Kurt was holding onto him too tight for that and he was frozen with confusion. None of this made any sense. He managed to lift his arms a little to wrap around the brunette's waist, quietly reassuring him, "It's okay, you don't have to be sorry, you didn't do anything wrong."

Kurt looked up, tears streaking his face and eyes red from crying. He sounded confused when he said, "Je t'ai embrassé quand tu ne voulais pas que je le fasse; ce n'est pas correct. J-je pensais que tu le voulais, mais..."

_I kissed you when you didn't want me to; it's not alright. I-I thought you wanted to, but…_

Blaine finally succeeded in prying the other's arms loose enough for him to move. He put his hands on Kurt's shoulders and looked him in the eye so there was no doubting what he was about to say. "Kurt, I _do _want to kiss you. You just caught me off guard and I reacted without thinking about what I was doing. I didn't mean to push you. I'm the one who should be sorry, and I am."

When his boyfriend just blinked like it hadn't sunk in, Blaine gently steered him towards the couch and sat them down. Kurt nestled into his side while the other wrapped an arm around his shoulder and spoke quietly to him. "Are you okay? Did I hurt you?"

Kurt nodded, pulling himself closer and Blaine understood that to be 'I'm fine'. Taking a breath, he asked the second question on his mind. "Why did you kiss me? I mean… why now? Was it about the party? About what I said, that I thought Rachel was you and I wanted to kiss you?"

"En quelque sorte." _Sort of_. Kurt sighed and looked up at his boyfriend, seemingly hesitant. "Je savais que tu voulais m'embrasser. Depuis toujours, probablement. Mais j'avais trop peur...

_I knew you wanted to kiss me. Since forever, probably. But I was too scared…_

"That's okay, Kurt. You're allowed to say no if you don't want to do something."

The brunette flinched at that and Blaine made the mental note to ask about it later. But Kurt was still talking and so he listened carefully to the explanation being given.

"Après la chanson... Je veux dire, j'étais si content et excité. Et je t'ai juste regardé et... j'ai voulu le faire. Mais je t'ai blessé."

_After the song… I mean, I was so happy, and excited. And I just looked at you, and… I just wanted to do it. But then I hurt you…_

While he was getting a warm, fuzzy feeling in his tummy at the thought that Kurt had decided to be so brave and that he'd done it because he'd wanted to instead of thinking he had to, Blaine heard the pain and the fear in the boy's voice and his choice of words made him curious. He hugged Kurt and pressed a soft, quick, barely-there kiss into his hair.

"You didn't hurt me, you just surprised me."

Kurt looked at him, puzzled. "Mais... vraiment? Je veux dire... Il..."

_But… really? I mean… he…_

"Kurt?" Blaine asked, shaking him gently "What are you talking about? Who's 'he'?"

His boyfriend shook his head firmly, clearly ending the discussion. Blaine was still curious to know what he meant but didn't push. Kurt would tell him eventually, when he was ready. Besides, they had more important things to talk about.

"Do you still want to kiss me?" he asked so quietly he may as well not have said it.

Kurt hesitated for only a second before nodding, a small, traitorous smile of hope crossing his face before he supressed it. Blaine smiled, cupping the other's cheek in his hand gently and whispering, "Then go ahead."

With wide eyes, the brunette stared at him for such a long while that Blaine thought he'd changed his mind about the whole thing. And he didn't want to just jump in and kiss him himself (well, he did, but that wasn't the point). He wanted this to be on Kurt's terms. It was only fair. But finally, just as Blaine was about to ask if everything was okay, Kurt hesitantly leaned forward and their lips met.

In his mind, he would always remember that surprise kiss, but this would be the one he would call his first kiss with Kurt. It was very slow and careful, testing and letting all the feelings settle in them. Kurt was unsure and unpractised but Blaine didn't mind in the slightest – especially when the brunette slid into his lap and draped his arms around his neck. When they finally broke apart they stared at each other with matching dazed smiles. Kurt let out a small giggle escape him before biting his lip, still grinning.

"C'était..." _That was…_

Blaine laughed breathlessly, "Perfect?"

Kurt nodded, darting in quickly and kissing his boyfriend's nose before cuddling up against his chest. Blaine just smiled and held him close, feeling as if he could live in this moment forever.

They were interrupted by calls from down the hallway; from the sound of it, it was some of the boys searching for them. The former Warbler lifted Kurt to his feet and followed him to the door, both still in some sort of happy haze as they made their way into the corridor and almost ran into Artie, Mike and Sam.

"There you are! Come on, they're about to announce the winners. And Blaine, your other friends were looking for you. We didn't tell them what was going on with you and Kurt… wait, what _is _going on now?" Sam asked, looking between the two of them.

"We're okay. Just a misunderstanding." Blaine blinked and grinned, pulling his boyfriend closer. The pair slipped around the boys that had come to look for him and headed towards the area where the glee clubs would be gathering to go on stage and hear the announcement. Sam, Mike and Artie watched them go, frowning.

"What just happened?" Artie asked. Mike just rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone to text the others and tell them the boys were found.

"You're all idiots," he said as they followed the two "It's obvious. Kurt's finally at the stage where he's okay with kissing Blaine. You saw them before."

"That's my boy," Artie laughed.

* * *

><p>"And this year's winners of Regionals, who will be going on to Nationals in New York, are… the New Directions!"<p>

It didn't really come as a surprise, Puck thought as they screamed and jumped around on stage, celebrating their win and taking the trophy to hold up high in victory. He joined them of course – it was a pretty awesome win if he did say so himself. He even spared a glance at the Warblers in second place. They looked gutted but putting on smiles for their friend going on to Nationals. And then the party was moved backstage where the groups could get together – and while Aural Intensity stalked off in defeat, the Dalton boys were mixing with the winners as soon as they were off the stage.

Puck stepped back a little and watched the scene unfold. The Warblers surrounded Blaine and Kurt – who hadn't let go of each other since that awkward kiss earlier. He'd seen that himself and it had not been pretty. But at least they seemed to have worked everything out, if the dopey grins and the lovestruck looks in their eyes were anything to go by. (Really, it was kind of annoying how cute they looked, but Puck would never say that out loud. And besides, Kurt deserved to be happy, right? Especially after everything that had happened to him. And if keeping Kurt happy meant watching him be cute enough to make him want to puke, then Puck would suffer through it. Not that he, you know, _cared _that much. Honestly). The boys congratulated the other members of New Directions as well, but their encouragement and praise was mostly focused on Blaine. And when Klaine (you know, because everyone was calling them that now) kissed in front of all of them, the Dalton boys went crazy. It was obvious they understood how important that was and they now had something else to congratulate the pair for.

"Come on, Puck!" Finn shouted, gesturing for him to join the fray and celebrate their win (they were going to freaking New York!). Allowing himself to smile, Puck walked back to the group and was immediately almost suffocated under a mass of hysteria and pressing bodies. When he was able to breathe, he laughed. A couple of hours ago they'd been fighting and barely able to look each other in the eye. Now they were back to that freakish, weird family thing they had going.

"What are you laughing about?" Quinn chuckled from beside him. Puck slid an arm around her and grinned, spinning the blonde to face him. Yeah, so maybe he missed her a little. But she was Finn's girl and after the last time he'd stolen Finn's girl (like, twice or something, he wasn't keeping track really) he didn't really want to risk that friendship anymore. So he just grinned and spun her, totally not admiring how bright her eyes were under the lights.

"No reason."

"We won. That's a pretty good reason," Quinn replied "And Kurt and Blaine."

"They're all good reasons."

He released her and stood up straight, looking down at her. She really was pretty. He opened his mouth to say something (what that was, he wasn't sure) but was interrupted by one of the Warbler boys shrieking about how it wasn't fair that he hadn't seen this kiss thing coming, was he just stupid, was he a terrible friend? Puck looked up as another voice replied that no, he wasn't a terrible friend but yes, fairly dumb with relationships – hence why he couldn't keep a girlfriend. There was laughter all round and when Puck looked back Quinn had gone, disappeared into the mass of New Directions and Warblers. He sighed.

There were always other girls.

* * *

><p><strong>The songs are: Drops of Jupiter by Train, Raise Your Glass by Pink, and Get It Right and Loser Like Me from Glee. <strong>

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

**Next: Blaine is always trying to protect Kurt from the evils of the ignorant strangers, but sometimes the poison is much closer to home.**


	15. Poison

**I think the last time I updated this was like February or something... I'm sorry. I had planned on writing this chapter as soon as I'd finished the last one, but it didn't turn out that way and I've only just finished getting it edited and translated. Thank you so much for all your patience, and thank you to Verdandil once again for translating :D**

**Shout outs to Ashley (I'll reply to your review at the end of the chapter), Lainey, crazy4remi, dreamer. dancer. writer, TanyaUchiha (I added a little Puck and Blaine bromance in this chapter for you ;P), Ittlebitz, Jennyanydots and the brilliant Verdandil.**

**Also, I wrote a oneshot a little while ago which is kind of a backstory to World Apart and is referenced in this chapter. It's called Our Song and it would be great if you checked that out as well if you like this chapter :)**

* * *

><p><span>Poison<span>

**When a relative of Kurt's comes to town, Blaine hears a lot of bad things about her. He wants nothing more than to protect Kurt from her but there might not be much he can do. Featuring fluffy Klaine, Puck/Blaine bromance, Finn not knowing when to keep his mouth shut, and Kurt angrier than he's ever been.**

"I'm going to kill you!"

"Ha, bring it on hobbit!"

"Hey! And that's cheating! You can't do that!"

"Yeah I can! Just watch me!"

"No! I can't fly, you idiot! Don't – yes! Take that!"

"What? No! Where the hell did you pull that move from!"

"And _that _is how you win!"

"No way!"

"Boys! Someone's at the door for you!"

Blaine and Puck glanced at each other when they heard the call before getting to their feet, leaving their finished, heated game of Super Smash Brawl. They headed downstairs to see who was waiting for them, passing Puck's mother on the way. Blaine smiled at her – he was incredibly grateful for her allowing him to stay in her house. But he forgot all about the woman as he saw who was waiting in the open doorway.

"Kurt!" He smiled, jogging towards him – but he slowed and his smile dropped when he saw his boyfriend's face. He was very clearly upset, arms folded across his chest as he stared at the floor. He gently held Kurt's shoulders and asked, "What's wrong?"

The boy didn't say anything; just leaned into Blaine and sighed. Just as he and Puck exchanged a curious glance, someone came running up to the door, skidding to a stop in front of them.

"Hi guys," Finn said "Um, Burt just asked me to follow Kurt 'cause he was upset about something."

Blaine continually wondered how Puck managed to act so stupidly sometimes when he was clearly rather intelligent. He noted the tense situation and looked at Finn. "Hey, Blaine and I just finished a game of Brawl. Want to see if you can finally beat me?"

"Oh, it's on," Finn grinned, following his friend up the stairs quickly and leaving Blaine and Kurt alone by the front door. The former closed the door and tugged Kurt gently towards the living room, hoping no one was in there. Luckily it was free and he sat the brunette on the couch before sitting in front of him on the floor, crossing his legs underneath him and keeping a hold of his boyfriend's hands.

"Kurt?" he asked softly "Are you okay?"

Silence.

"Will you tell me what's going on? You're kind of scaring me." Blaine rubbed his thumbs over the back of Kurt's hands, hoping he would speak. He'd never seen him this quiet and distressed before, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth and eyes fluttering from open to closed and back again, not quite sure if he wanted to look at Blaine or not. It was scaring him. Just when he opened his mouth to try again, to comfort Kurt about something he knew nothing about, the boy whispered angrily.

"Je la déteste."

_I hate her._

The intensity that Kurt spoke with surprised Blaine and he frowned. "Who?"

"Je la déteste; je la déteste. Je veux qu'elle me laisse tranquille - nous tous. Je veux juste qu'elle s'en aille et qu'elle ne revienne jamais. Je la déteste." Kurt just continued as if his boyfriend hadn't spoken and tugged his hands out of Blaine's hold, glaring at the floor as he rocked back and forth and hugged his chest tightly. _I hate her, I hate her. I want her to leave me alone – all of us. I just want her to go away and never come back. I hate her. _Blaine got to his knees, shaking Kurt by the shoulders gently. "Kurt, calm down. What's going on?"

Finally the brunette lifted his dark gaze and spoke in a quieter voice. "Ma tante. Elle vient nous visiter et je ne veux pas qu'elle vienne."

_My aunt. She's coming to visit and I don't want her to._

"Why?" Blaine asked.

"Elle ne m'aime pas," Kurt replied in a much softer tone than before, a huge contrast to his violently angry demeanour of just moments ago. _She doesn't like me._

Blaine moved to sit beside him, putting an arm over his shoulder and pressing a gentle kiss to his temple. Kurt leaned into him with a slight smile and Blaine couldn't help but smile as well. Kissing, even to the cheek or forehead, was still new for them and every time it made Kurt break into a smile. The boy looked up and leaned forward but paused for a second just above Blaine's lips, asking silently if he was allowed. Blaine had told him he could just do it whenever he liked but Kurt always waited for permission, just to be sure. When his boyfriend didn't move, Kurt smiled and kissed him gently.

Blaine had very quickly discovered he liked kissing Kurt quite a lot. And Kurt seemed to have realised the same thing. Despite the fact they were still living in separate houses (Burt was slowly coming around, though not fast enough for either of their likings) they took every chance they got to steal small kisses away from everyone else – in the hallway between classes behind a locker door, in the choir room before everyone else arrived or after they'd left, in the car when one dropped the other off home. Kurt had told his father about this development in his relationship and while Burt wasn't particularly happy, he was reluctantly stepping back and just keeping a careful eye on the situation.

When they broke away, Blaine smiled and said quietly, "I love you. And your dad's probably worried about you; he sent Finn after you. How about we get you home and you can tell me more about this aunt of yours?"

Kurt's face fell and he sighed, nodded. They stood up and made their way to the door, reaching it as a loud cheer came from upstairs.

"You'll never beat me, Finn!" Puck crowed "And you know it!"

"Dammit!"

* * *

><p>When they made it to the Hummel-Hudson house, Blaine followed his boyfriend inside and towards his room. Just as they were about to duck inside and shut the door, Burt turned into the hallway and spotted them.<p>

"Blaine. I didn't know you were here."

"I, uh, Kurt came to see me and wanted to talk…" Blaine replied, still not really sure as to how to talk to Burt anymore. He'd screwed up a lot and while the older man was relenting a little, he was still very angry and upset about the whole incident. The trust they'd had before had been shattered. Blaine had to earn that again and he wasn't sure how to do that.

"Door open," was all Burt said in response before disappearing down the hall. Blaine looked after him for a moment before leaving the door ajar and joining Kurt on the bed, crossing his legs under him and facing his boyfriend.

"So tell me about your aunt."

Kurt sighed and after a moment's hesitation where he bit his lip and played with the hem of his shirt, he began.

"Ma tante Diane ne m'aime vraiment pas. Elle pense que je suis bizarre et stupide, and elle n'aime pas Papa non plus. Elle pense qu'il est un bon à rien et quelqu'un d'autre devrait s'occuper de moi."

_My aunt Diane really doesn't like me. She thinks I'm weird and stupid, and she doesn't like Dad either. She thinks he is a good for nothing and that someone else should look after me._

Blaine frowned, a mixture of emotions bubbling up. He was confused and surprised that someone within Kurt's own family wouldn't believe in him or his father. He was angry that she thought he was 'weird and stupid'. And he was _furious_ that she thought Burt couldn't look after Kurt. It was insane.

"She sounds horrible."

"Elle l'est," Kurt agreed "Et elle vient demain pour rester quelques jours avec nous. Papa ne peut pas l'en empêcher - elle veut rencontrer Carole et Finn."

_She is. And she's coming tomorrow to stay for a few days. Dad can't stop her – she wants to meet Carole and Finn._

Blaine didn't like feeling sorry for Kurt – he was a strong person – but he couldn't help it. He felt sorry for the fact his boyfriend had to deal with stupid family members that didn't understand and didn't care. He wanted more than anything for Kurt to have the people around him care for him, and it was mostly true with his father and Carole and Finn and the rest of the glee club and even the Warblers. But there always had to be someone, right? There always had to be someone who came in and made peoples' lives a misery.

"I can be there when she comes, if you want," he offered.

Kurt shook his head sadly, eyes full of regret. "Elle n'aime pas… que j'aime les garçons. Elle utilise les mots que les brutes utilisent."

_She doesn't like… that I like boys… She uses the words the bullies use._

If Blaine had been angry before, he was _fuming_ now. This woman not only thought Kurt was stupid and weird and that Burt was an incapable father, but she also used those words that Blaine couldn't even bring himself to say in his head. He'd heard them too many times.

"We don't have to tell her we're together," he said, taking Kurt's hands. He wasn't going to let his boyfriend deal with this alone. "She can just think I'm your friend."

Kurt looked up at him and sighed. "Je ne veux juste pas qu'elle te dise quoi que ce soit… Elle fâche le monde sans même le vouloir. Je ne veux pas que tu entendes ce qu'elle dit."

_I just don't want her to say anything to you… She makes people mad without even meaning to. I don't want you to hear what she says._

"Trust me Kurt, I'll be fine. She can say anything she wants about me – it doesn't matter." Blaine tried to pull him forward and into his lap but Kurt shook his head, pulling back and lying down on the bed. Blaine curled up next to him, nose to nose, one arm over Kurt's side loosely. They didn't get the chance to be this intimate very often but Blaine loved it. No one else got to do this with Kurt. He didn't let anyone else get this close – only Blaine, and it made him feel all the more special and blessed to be with this boy. He was perfect.

"Ça te blesserait, mais je sais que tu serais correct en fin de compte. Mais c'est ce qu'elle dit à propos de moi que je ne veux pas que tu entendes."

_That would hurt you, but I know you'd be okay in the end. But it's what she says about me that I don't want you to hear._

"It'll be okay," Blaine replied just as quietly, lifting his head just enough to kiss the other's nose. "Promise."

* * *

><p>For the first time since the Spin The Bottle incident, Burt had allowed Blaine to sleep over. The rules were strict – Blaine got the spare room again but there was to be no sneaking off to each other's rooms in the middle of the night and both doors were required to be open. Kurt and Blaine agreed yet somehow when they woke they found themselves curled up together on the couch, the latter in the brunette's arms and pressed against his chest.<p>

Blaine smiled to himself when he opened his eyes and felt Kurt's arms around him, despite knowing he'd probably get in some serious trouble with Burt if he saw them. He snuggled in a bit closer and Kurt tightened his grip slightly.

"You awake?" he whispered. His response was a murmured 'Yeah', Kurt's breath tickling the back of his neck. Blaine's smile grew and he asked, "How did we end up like this? I don't remember…"

His answer, when it came, made him chuckle. "Moi non plus, mais je suis content d'être ici."

_Neither do I, but I'm glad I'm here._

"Me too." Blaine closed his eyes and sighed, knowing he should get up. If Burt were to walk in and see them… the consequences wouldn't be good. But he just couldn't bring himself to move. In the end they were interrupted, but not by the old man.

"Boys?"

They both looked up at the woman in the open doorway and Kurt held on a little tighter, as if he was afraid of having to let go. Blaine rubbed his arm lightly as Carole smiled and walked further into the room.

"Burt will be up in a moment; you might want to get moving," she said in a conspiratorial whisper, gesturing to the door. Blaine smiled softly and reluctantly got up, Kurt's arms dropping from around him as the brunette shifted and pulled himself up with a clear sigh. He slid off the couch and with a last quick kiss to his boyfriend's cheek, left the room, mumbling about having a shower. It left Blaine alone with Carole and the pair glanced at each other briefly.

"For as long as I've known him," the woman said, breaking the short silence "I've never seen him so comfortable around someone. You make him very happy."

Blaine smiled. "I know. He makes me feel the same."

"Just don't ruin that for him," Carole replied, half-joking, but the serious edge in her voice still remained under that and Blaine knew exactly what she meant. Kurt may have forgiven him, but neither Burt nor Carole were quite ready to make that move. She wasn't even his real mother but she cared about Kurt the same way she cared about Finn and Blaine understood that she had been hurt by what he'd done too. By hurting Kurt, he'd hurt his family and lost their trust.

"I will never do that to him again, I can promise you that."

* * *

><p>After Kurt, Finn took so long in the shower that by the time Blaine managed to get a turn it was late in the morning, and when he was finally dressed and drying off his hair the doorbell rang out loudly. Blaine poked his head out the bathroom door and suddenly a sort of tension fell over the house; they all knew who was at the door and no one really wanted to let them in. The former Warbler quickly finished drying his hair and went quickly to find Kurt. He found him waiting in his room, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and staring at the floor.<p>

"It'll be okay," Blaine said quietly, holding out his hand "I'll be right there this time, and Finn too; you don't have to face her alone."

Kurt sighed and got to his feet to take his boyfriend's hand. He locked eyes with him for a mere second or two, but Blaine saw his worry there and his anger, and all the other emotions Kurt held towards his aunt. They walked out of his room just as a loud, large voice filled the house.

"Burt! It's been far too long since we saw each other last. But I suppose with you living all the way out here it's a little difficult. Now, where's the nephew of mine? Kurt?"

The brunette rolled his eyes as he entered the room with Blaine at his side. The shorter boy finally got his first look at the woman Kurt hated so much. She wasn't anything out of the ordinary but she was by no means plain. Dark brown hair was cut in a bob around her round face, the same colour as her small, bright eyes. She was a harshly thin woman in a pretty enough blue dress and heels that made her seem much more imposing and taller; she stood over everyone but Finn, who was standing awkwardly at the back of the room trying to appear inconspicuous.

"Kurt! There you are! How have you been?" she asked with a wide smile, moving to envelop Kurt in a hug. Blaine could feel the tension radiating off his boyfriend and as the woman wrapped her bony arms around her stiff and stressed-out nephew, all he wanted to do was shove her away. It was clear she was making him uncomfortable and Kurt was trying his hardest not to do so himself. But she ignored it entirely and hugged him for a few seconds too long before patting his shoulder.

"How are you?" she asked again.

Kurt chewed on his lip and mumbled, "Good."

"Good!" Diane then switched her gaze between Finn and Blaine, raising an eyebrow. "I heard there was a stepson now but there are three handsome boys here."

"I'm just Kurt's friend," Blaine spoke up with a pasted-on smile "The name's Blaine."

"It's lovely to meet you," Diane said before focusing her attention on Finn. "So you must be the one Burt was telling me about. Flynn?"

"Finn," the boy muttered. Diane waved her hand dismissively. "I'm looking forward to hearing more about you. And this must be your lovely new wife, Burt!"

As Burt introduced Carole, who was smiling and polite, Blaine turned to his boyfriend and whispered lowly, "How're you doing?"

"Je veux lui faire du mal." Kurt's voice was just as low but much darker and angrier._ I want to hurt her_. Blaine rubbed a thumb over his hand that he was holding, giving him a comforting smile. He didn't particularly like the woman either and he could understand just from the few minutes he'd known her why Kurt would detest her so much. It seemed she completely ignored his boundaries and pushed him to the point where he was shaking slightly with hands balled up into fists at his side – at least, the one not gripping Blaine's tightly.

"Blaine – uh…" Burt had turned around to say something to his son's boyfriend but paused when he saw how stressed Kurt was and how he was holding onto Blaine without any intent of letting go. Diane turned as well and if she saw the tension, she said nothing about it. Instead, she glanced at Blaine and said, "I'm sure you have family to be getting home to, don't you? You don't want to be hanging around here."

Burt asked quietly to talk to the former Warbler alone, and with a little effort he was carefully extracted from Kurt's grip with a promise that he would come back as soon as he could, and that he just had to call or text if he needed him. Kurt nodded and moved quickly to Finn's side, not wanting to stand alone in the same room as his aunt, and in a move that surprised almost everyone, he grabbed Finn's arm and pressed himself close. For Kurt to initiate contact like that meant something was very wrong.

Burt led Blaine out of the room and to the front door. He knew he was being dismissed but Blaine couldn't help but look back and wonder if Kurt was going to be okay.

"Look, I can see Kurt feels a lot more comfortable around you than his aunt," Burt said quietly "But he's handled her visits before and I'm sure he'll be fine."

Blaine didn't really know what to say; he was too buys thinking about his boyfriend. "Okay."

And then he was shown out and with a quick goodbye, left on the front step. He sighed, ran a hand through his hair, and began to walk back to Puck's place.

* * *

><p>Finn was no stranger to awkward situations. Being a member of glee club and Kurt's stepbrother meant a lot of weird and uncomfortable things happened to him. But this had to be the worst thing he'd ever had to sit through.<p>

Dinner.

Finn stared down at his still-full plate – no matter how fast he ate in order to escape the tension at the table, someone always put more food there. Mostly it was Aunt Diane across from him, smiling as she said he and Kurt should eat more. For once, Finn really didn't want to. He just wanted out.

Burt and his mother had told him a little about 'Aunt Diane'. He knew that she wasn't really liked and that she wasn't very nice to Kurt. But hearing the way she talked about him and referred to him like he wasn't in the room made the protective stepbrother in Finn want to tell her to shut up and stop being so rude. But considering she was kind of his family now, he couldn't and it annoyed him. No one else was allowed to treat Kurt like that, so why was she?

"So how's Kurt doing in school?" Diane asked "Kurt? What are you up to?"

It was one of the few times she actually addressed him but Kurt just ignored her, staring down at his lap and refusing to eat or speak. Finn saw the look on the woman's face – annoyance and disappointment – and he glared at her surreptitiously. At least, until his mother noticed and she frowned at him until he looked away back to his food.

"Kurt's doing great," Burt answered in a tight voice "He's getting very good grades."

"Wonderful! And Finn? How about you?"

Suddenly she was looking at him expectantly and Finn accidentally choked on a piece of potato in surprise. He coughed for a moment before managing to apologise.

"Finn's doing quite well in school," Carole replied for him (_Wait until she sees the score I just go on my History test_, Finn thought to himself, wincing internally) "He's also on the football team."

Diane seemed fairly interested in that. "Football, hey? What position?"

"Quarterback," Finn mumbled.

"Well done," Diane smiled before glancing back at her nephew "And Kurt? You play football with Finn?"

There was a long moment where Kurt just glared at the table and there was almost complete silence – everyone stopped eating and Carole and Burt glanced at each other nervously. Finn fidgeted in his seat, hating the awkward silence and finally saying something to break it.

"No, but we're both in glee club."

If there'd been tension before, it could now be cut through with the steak knife Kurt was gripping tightly as he chewed on his lip. Burt shot his stepson a look that clearly told him to keep his mouth shut but it was too late. Diane, whose expression had dropped to one of surprise, managed to paste on a very fake smile as she said, "Glee club? I thought I talked to you about that, Burt."

"You did, Diane," Burt replied, saying her name forcefully as if it was an effort just to get it out "But glee club is good for him. It's good for both of them."

"The only thing it's good for is making children think they have the talent to run off somewhere and become famous."

"But Kurt is…"

"Finn, be quiet," Carole told him as her husband and his sister continued.

"I don't think you get to sit there and tell me how to raise my son. Either of them."

The slim woman glared down the table at her brother, her face dark. "If you weren't completely incompetent at it-"

"This is not something we should be talking about in front of the boys." Burt stood, only just keeping his voice under control. Finn had never been so scared of his stepfather as he was now, watching the man stare at Diane with so much rage and anger. The woman stood too but she continued as if Burt hadn't spoken at all.

"If you weren't completely incompetent at it, then maybe Kurt at the very least wouldn't be as strange as he is."

Finn glanced at Kurt beside him and saw his stepbrother with his eyes closed and head down, shaking a little. He wanted to reach over and put a hand on his shoulder or something, but he didn't know how the other would react to that.

"There's nothing wrong with my son, Diane." There was a definite edge in Burt's voice that warned her not to argue. But argue she did.

"That's not what you keep telling me. You always tell me he's got that stupid disorder and _now_ there's nothing wrong with him?" Diane's eye started to twitch, which only freaked Finn out more. And then, making him jump, Belle began pacing around Diane's feet and barking at her, growling with hackles raised. The woman ignored the dog, pushing it away with one foot. "Make up your mind, Burt. Either he's normal or he's not, and he's _clearly _not right."

"Stop talking about Kurt like that-"

"If you and Elizabeth had raised him right in the first place you wouldn't have these issues. He'd be a perfectly normal boy but look at him!" Diane threw her arm out and gestured in Kurt's direction, not noticing her nephew was fighting back tears. Belle continued to bark. "He won't even speak English; and I blame Elizabeth for that one, he has no friends to speak of from what I hear, he's singing in that silly glee club and from the looks of him he hasn't grown out of that gay phase either!"

Burt looked ready to explode and Carole just stared with her jaw loose and eyes wide. Finn wore a similar expression, unable to believe half of what had just come out of that woman's mouth. But it was none of them who spoke next – it was Kurt. He got to his feet and slammed the knife in his hand point-down into the table, surprising Diane into looking at him as he began to shout at her in broken English and French.

"Juste fermez-la! Shut up! Je vous déteste! Et vous avez tort sur tout! J'ai des amis; j'ai Mercedes et Tina, et Santana et Brittany, and Mike and Sam and Artie and Finn, and even Puck and Quinn are my friends! And there is Becky et les Warblers à Dalton… Et presque tous sont dans le Glee club; j'adore Glee. Ça me rend heureux et personne ne me déteste là-bas. Personne ne me déteste parce que je suis différent ou parce que je suis gay – because I am! Vous vous rappelez de Blaine? Je l'aime! He's my boyfriend et je l'aime plus que tout and he loves me and je me fous de ce que vous pensez!"

_Just shut up! Shut up! I hate you! And you're wrong, about everything! I have friends; I have Mercedes and Tina, and Santana and Brittany, and Mike and Sam and Artie and Finn, and even Puck and Quinn are my friends! And there's Becky and there's all the Warblers at Dalton… And nearly all of them are in glee club; I love glee! It makes me happy and no one hates me there. No one hates me for being different or for being gay – because I am! Remember Blaine? I love him! He's my boyfriend and I love him more than anything and he loves me and I don't care what you think!_

When he paused for a second, Diane opened her mouth to say something, stuttering, but Kurt wasn't finished. He struggled to speak until finally he said in a very low and harsh voice, "Don't ever talk about Mom."

And then he ran from the table and out of the room. He called Belle and the dog instantly responded, bounding out and following him. A moment later the front door slammed shut and a car engine sounded until it faded away in the distance.

No one could speak. Finn figured Diane hadn't understood much of what Kurt had said, but the fact he was so angry wasn't lost to anyone. It was clear she'd crossed a line – and this was only made more evident when Burt stared down at his sister and said, "Diane, I have had _enough _of listening to you berate my parenting skills, Elizabeth and my son. I won't stand for it any longer. I want you out of my house and out of our lives."

"Burt…"

"Now. In the meantime, I'm going to find my son."

* * *

><p>It was in the middle of an after-dinner Mario Kart game that Blaine wasn't paying attention to when the call came through.<p>

Blaine glanced at the ID and frowned when he saw it was Finn calling. Immediately worried, he picked up the call and said, "Hello? Is everything okay?"

"_Um, not really_…" Finn said with a nervous tinge to his voice that Blaine didn't like at all. "_Is Kurt there? Has he called you or something?_"

"No… Finn, what's going on? Is Kurt alright?"

Puck paused the game and looked over in curiosity, asking Blaine if he'd put it on speaker. He did so and told Finn his friend was also listening in.

"_Hey Puck. Look, you know how Burt said that Aunt Diane wasn't, like, really great? Well she pretty much went crazy at dinner, yelling at Burt and Kurt and saying some bad stuff. But then Kurt screamed at her and ran away, and we don't know where he is."  
><em>  
>Blaine's heart hit the floor. He could only think that Kurt would come to him if something that bad had happened but he hadn't showed up or made any contact. Meaning he could be anywhere.<p>

"_He's not answering his phone either. He took Belle with him too but Mom drove down to the park and they weren't there. I've texted everyone else but no one's seen him. If he's not with you…_" Finn was clearly getting more and more worried. Blaine didn't think he'd be much help in calming him down – he was starting to panic himself.

"Where do you want me to look?"

There was a shout on the other end of the line, too far away from the phone to hear properly. But Finn translated it when he spoke again. "_Burt said he was going to check out the cemetery._"

"Why?" Puck was the one to ask.

"_Uh, I don't know… she _was _going on about his mom…_"

Blaine said quickly, "Tell Burt I'll go."

"_He's already gone_."

"Then we'll meet him there," Puck replied before Blaine ended the call and they raced down the stairs, their game of Mario Kart forgotten.

* * *

><p>Puck's house was closer to the cemetery than the Hummel-Hudson's, so the pair arrived without Burt's car in sight. Kurt's Navigator, on the other hand, was parked there on an angle, as if the driver didn't care about doing it properly.<p>

"Do you know where he'd be?" Puck asked, looking around. The sun was very low in the sky and it was practically dark, so neither could really see very far. But in the distance Blaine caught sight of a shadow by a gravestone and knew it couldn't be anyone else.

"Stay here," he said, leaving Puck by his truck and jogging towards the hunched figure.

He slowed down as he got closer, until he was just walking slowly and he could see Kurt on his knees and staring at the gravestone in front of him. A little way behind him, Belle was lying down with ears pricked, head on her paws but watching intently. She wagged her tail slightly when she saw Blaine approach but didn't move.

"Kurt?"

The brunette looked over at him with wide, surprised eyes. When he realised who it was he relaxed and let out a sigh. Blaine carefully knelt beside him in silence, not wanting to say anything until Kurt was ready.

After a few minutes, Kurt said quietly, "Elle a dit que quelque chose ne marchait pas avec moi – que Papa et Maman ne m'ont pas éduqué comme il faut et que c'est pour ça que je suis comme je suis. Elle a dit ça avant, mais…"

_She said there was something wrong with me. That Dad and Mom didn't raise me right and that's why I am the way I am. She's said it before, but…_

Blaine didn't talk until he was sure his boyfriend had finished. Then he wrapped his arm around Kurt's shoulder and said, "There's nothing wrong with you. Nothing at all. I-I don't know much about your mom, but your dad is the _best _father anyone could ask for, and for her to say he's not is… she's just wrong."

He flicked his gaze down to read the inscription on the headstone, but stopped after the words _Elizabeth Anne Hummel_. He'd known Kurt's mother was dead but this was the first time anything about her had come up.

"Si seulement tu pouvais la rencontrer."Kurt mumbled, running his fingers over the cold stone "Je crois qu'elle t'aurait aimé." _I wish you could meet her. I think she'd like you._

"Tell me about her."

For the next twenty minutes, Kurt told Blaine about his mother. Little stories and memories that he recalled, like the time his mother bought him a little stuffed black dog and he hadn't let it go for months, that was still locked away in a box in his closet. And the time he'd first sung – The Beatles' Blackbird with Elizabeth playing the piano and singing along. And when they'd looked after a neighbour's kitten which had gotten lost for a week before turning up under Elizabeth's bed. And how his mother would sit with him and hold him when he panicked or someone hurt him, and would talk softly to him and tell him everything was alright. He started telling Blaine about the day they'd heard from the doctors that her breast cancer had spread and she didn't have long to live, but the curly-haired boy stopped him – "Just the happy memories. Just remember those."

Finally, as darkness surrounded them, Kurt mumbled, "Je suppose que je devrais rentrer à la maison." _I suppose I should go home._

"I won't let her say anything to you."

"Je lui ai dit que je t'aimais," Kurt smiled to himself "Elle ne m'a probablement pas compris, mais je l'ai dit." _I told her I love you. She probably didn't understand me, but I said it._

Blaine got to his feet and pulled his boyfriend with him, giving him only a moment's warning before kissing him lightly. Kurt made a sound of surprise before melting against him, hugging Blaine close.

"You're perfect, you know that?" Blaine smiled.

Kurt just giggled quietly, resting his head briefly on the other's shoulder. Then he collected Belle's lead and the pair made their way back to the cars, hand in hand.

Burt had arrived and was waiting with Puck when the two made it back. He looked between Blaine and Kurt curiously and with relief, seeing his son was okay.

"She's gone, Kurt," he said with a slight smile "And she won't be coming back. I made sure of that."

The grin on the brunette's face couldn't be any bigger.

* * *

><p>When Blaine woke up the next morning, he found himself for the second time in as many days curled up in his boyfriend's arms. For a split-second his heart raced as he thought about Burt finding them like this when their trust had been broken and he was practically banned from being in Kurt's room alone with him. But then he remembered his conversation with Burt the night before and he smiled to himself.<p>

"_Blaine, I need to talk to you."_

_The teenager was a little worried by his tone and he wondered what he'd done wrong. But once he and the older man were alone in the living room – Kurt was hanging out with Finn and Carole in the kitchen, cleaning up after that disastrous dinner – Burt smiled and Blaine was taken aback._

_"You've hurt Kurt in the past, we both know that," he started, and the boy nodded. "But you proved yourself today, showing up for Kurt and being there for him. He still trusts you, and you're earning that back with me."_

_Blaine smiled, but Burt wasn't finished. "Kurt mentioned what you talked about as we were coming in. He told you about Elizabeth."_

_"Yeah. She sounds wonderful."_

_The pause was long but when the man finally spoke again it was well-worth the wait. "I think Elizabeth would have liked you. She might have buried you in the backyard for what you did at that party, but she would have liked you."_

_Blaine had never felt more honoured. Elizabeth meant a lot to Burt and Kurt, and for both of them to say that she would have liked him and accepted him into the family like they had was just such an honour._

_"From what I hear, I think I would have liked her."_

_"Would you like to move back in?"_

_The boy stared for a moment before grinning widely. "I'd like nothing more."_

_Burt smiled. "The door still stays open."_

_They laughed._

Carefully, Blaine twisted in his boyfriend's arms and he couldn't wipe the smile off his face as he watched him sleep. He was so peaceful, so happy. His aunt was gone, his boyfriend was back – what was there to be sad about? Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist and shoulder, pulling himself closer and kissing his cheek lightly before closing his eyes again and dropping back off to sleep.

Everything was perfect again.

* * *

><p><strong>Next: Kurt's keeping a secret but it can't stay hidden forever when an old enemy returns and Blaine is finally initiated into McKinley.<strong>

**Ashley**** - I understand exactly where you're coming from with your comments, and you certainly didn't sound too mean. I've heard it before (not directly said to me) and I know what you mean, but I just want to explain that I think political correctness can only go so far. In my own beliefs, to say that calling someone autistic over 'person with autism' means you're defining them by their disorder is taking it a little far, because that's exactly what they are - autistic. It doesn't mean that's _all_ they are, but it is a part of them. However, if someone asked me not to call them autistic I would happily do so. I'm sorry if I've offended you, I certainly don't mean to. Thank you for telling me as well.**

**Please review, and I hope you all liked this update!**


	16. Born This Way And Proud

**Again, I apologise for the wait. This sort of length between chapters will be normal and I'm sorry if that annoys you, but unfortunately that's how it's going to be.**

**Thank you so much for all your reviews last chapter, and now you finally get to see what Kurt's big secret is - some of you have seen this coming, and others maybe not... **

**Shout outs to Full-Empty-Spirit, AngelisIgniRelucent, britbojangles, Jester's Pet Oriole, miss jayne76, BadassPinkSunglasses, Jennyanydots, Ravenpan and Caity0898. And as always, thank you so much Verdandil, my amazing translator :D**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

><p><span>Born This Way And Proud<span>

**Just when everything seems to be going so well for the boys, an old enemy returns to make their lives hell. His return forces Kurt to reveal something he's been hiding from everyone, and Blaine's world is turned upside down. Featuring overprotective ND, Blaine's emotions going all over the place, a dirty secret, dark memories and finally Blaine's initiation into McKinley.**

"Did you hear about Santana and Liam?" Mercedes asked as she, Blaine and Kurt made their way inside the school building. Classes hadn't started yet though they were due to begin any minute now. Blaine nodded. "Yeah, I heard from David that they broke up."

It wasn't too strange or sad to hear about the breakup – Liam and Santana were very similar in their ways of dating and didn't care to settle down. Which was why Blaine wasn't paying much attention to what Mercedes was saying, and was instead revelling in the fact that he was now back living with Kurt. It was kind of surreal, if he were honest. He still technically had the spare room (even though it was almost officially Blaine's room now) but he nearly always found himself in Kurt's bed in the mornings, sometimes unable to explain how he got there. He was so glad he'd earned back Burt's trust because not only did it mean he could spend more time with Kurt, but that trust meant a lot to him. He respected Kurt's father more than any other man – especially his own father. Burt was more of a father to him than his own but despite how strange that was, Blaine liked it that way. He'd take Burt over Daniel Anderson any day.

Blaine was jolted out of his thoughts by the conversation suddenly changing to include another person – someone he'd been meaning to talk to.

"Puck, did you hear about Santana and Liam?"

"Santana and who?" the mohawked teenager frowned, looking at Mercedes oddly. The girl sighed. "Liam. One of the Warblers."

"Oh. Tall, skinny dude?"

"That would be him."

"Eh, whatever."

Mercedes rolled her eyes. "Why did I think you'd be interested?"

Puck shrugged and made to walk off, but Blaine grabbed his arm. He said quickly, "Thanks again, for letting me stay at your place. I really do appreciate it."

"Dude, you've said that like three times now. You're cool," Puck replied, but there was the slightest hint of a smile so Blaine nodded, reassured. If there was one thing he'd take from his parents it was manners, and he didn't want anyone to think he wasn't grateful for the help he'd been given – from Finn and Puck intervening at the airport to the latter helping him transfer and letting him stay; Puck had done a lot for him.

Puck disappeared down the corridor into the mess of people at their lockers or moving to classes that were close to starting. Blaine just took Kurt's hand and smiled, glancing at him. Kurt smiled back at him for a second before his eyes widened in terror and his grip on his boyfriend's hand tightened painfully.

Blaine turned to see what had scared Kurt so much and the moment he laid eyes on the person walking towards them with a smirk on his face, he was sure the blood started to freeze in his veins. He couldn't move except to push Kurt behind him instinctively. He heard Mercedes gasp beside him as the person moved steadily towards them.

"I'm back," Karofsky grinned, flicking his gaze from the three glee-clubbers to the two slushies he held in his hands.

"You were suspended," Mercedes shot back angrily "How are you back?"

"They couldn't prove I did anything," the former footballer replied, barely sparing the girl a glance "So my suspension was lifted, and here I am."

He took a step closer and Blaine reacted instantly, pushing a frozen Kurt back towards the lockers. He didn't want to touch him too much in his state to avoid a panic attack; even the light push of one hand on his arm was enough to make Kurt flinch.

"I've been told you haven't been dealt the McKinley loser tradition yet, midget," Karofsky stared straight down into Blaine's eyes "So I figured now I'm back, someone should finally get around to it."

Before Blaine could even blink, icy cold slushy splattered him in the face and he gasped in shock. His cheeks were numb and the colouring seeped into his eyes, stinging and blinding him for a few seconds. Behind him he heard Kurt cry out and hit the lockers as he tried to escape, before a soft thud as he dropped to the floor. Vision still blurry, Blaine ignored Karofsky and instead knelt down, rubbing ice out of his eyes and trying to help Kurt. He could feel him shaking under his hands and for a moment, panic set in. It wasn't helped by someone grabbing the back of his shirt and pulling him away from his boyfriend.

"Get off me!" he shouted before a familiar voice told him, "It's just me, calm down."

As his vision started to clear, Blaine watched blankly as Mercedes did her best to calm Kurt, talking softly to him as he tried to violently shake the offending liquid out of his eyes. Puck, with a hand on the other boy's shoulder, shouted down the hall to a retreating Karofsky, "Just you wait, you son of a bitch! We'll get you!"

Quickly he hauled Blaine to his feet, phone in hand and finding the number he needed. The person on the other end picked up within two rings.

"Finn, Karofsky's back. You want to deal with him or help with Kurt?"

Blaine didn't hear the answer but he heard Puck's reply to it. "Good, because I want to be there when you beat the shit out of that punk. We're at the front of the school. Mercedes is trying to help Kurt but he's pretty out of it."

There was another pause as Finn spoke again, and then Puck – "They both got slushied. You know who I mean. Just hurry up, alright?"

Puck shoved his phone in his pocket and asked Mercedes, "Are you right -"

She cut him off. "I can take care of him until Finn gets here. Go."

Blaine was still trying to figure out what had just happened and the only thing making sense in his mind was that his boyfriend was hurt and he needed help. So when Puck attempted to drag him away down the hallway, he fought back.

"No! Let go of me!" he shouted, vaguely registering the sound of the school bell in his head "Kurt!"

Hearing Kurt sob out his name, in so much pain and terrified beyond belief, only intensified his need to get Puck off him and to get back to his boyfriend. But he wasn't strong enough and the last thing he saw was a blurry scene of Kurt leaning against the lockers, Mercedes knelt beside him, and students milling around watching with curiosity and confusion, before he was pulled into a room and Puck's hand was fisted in his hair, shoving his head down and under a stream of water.

Blaine spluttered, unable to breathe without water finding its way into his mouth or nose. Panicking, he kicked out backwards in a futile attempt to force Puck to let go. Unable to stop them, memories began to resurface and made him fight back harder.

"_Aw." There's that accent again. I hate it. I hate it and I hate him. "Poor Blaine. Your face looks a little sore."  
><em>  
>Of course it's sore, since you just used it as a punching bag. That tends to hurt, <em>I thought, wanting to glare at him and show him just how much I hate him, but I can't even muster up the courage to do that. I just keep my gaze to the tiled floor so as not to provoke him into doing anything else. <em>He has to be a psychopath_, my head spins, throbbing with pain_, no one can enjoy hurting someone else this much.  
><em>He works his fingers into my hair, pulling my head back sharply. I gasp. I'm still crying.<em>

_"I'll make it feel better. How's that sound?"_

_I wish he wouldn't. All I want is for him to leave me alone. But I can't even have that. Instead, he drags me over to the sink, already filled, and for a second I'm pretty sure my heart's going to rip itself right out of my chest._

_He's going to kill me._

_And then he pushes my head under the water, and I can't breathe. I struggle and kick out and try to pull my head up, but he's too strong. I don't scream – I have to hold my breath, save what air I have. I can't breathe. It hurts. My chest hurts and my lungs are burning and my head is pounding and I can hear him laughing through the water in my ears, muffled. The fight is leaving me._

_I'm going to die. He's going to drown me in the boy's bathroom where no one will even find me for hours. Oh God, I'm going to die…_  
><em><br>And then he lifts my head from the water roughly. I gasp, desperately sucking in as much air as I can. My heart beats fast against my ribs and my chest aches. In my ear, he says, "You don't look any better. We'll have to try again."_

_No. Please. _

Suddenly, the water was shut off and the pressure in his hair released. Blaine jumped back, gasping for air and shaking the water from his face.

"Here," Puck said brusquely, pressing something into his hand. It took Blaine a moment to understand before using the paper towel he'd just been given to dry himself off, rubbing his stinging eyes a little. After the shock of the water and the vivid memories he was starting to come back to his senses and calming down, he managed to ask in a still-shaky voice, "What was that for?"

"You gotta get it out of your eyes quickly or it stings like hell," Puck explained briefly "Irritates the eyes and shit. And you kind of lost it out there too. Figured it'd shut you up."

Blaine swallowed, knowing Kurt was still out there. "Kurt…"

"Mercedes and Finn will take care of him. You need to get your head straight." As Puck spoke, there was a commotion from outside in the hall, the voices muffled and distant but still comprehensible through the walls.

"Rachel, he is _crying_ for him," Finn's loud voice was easily recognisable, as was Santana's shout right after him, "Do something useful for once and go get him!"  
>Footsteps came towards the door then stopped as it opened to reveal an upset-looking Rachel. She barely spared a glance for Puck and instead stared at Blaine and spoke in the quietest, softest voice he'd ever heard come out of her mouth.<p>

"Kurt needs you."

Blaine moved instantly for the door, pushing past Puck – he didn't try to stop him but Blaine wasn't going to give him the chance – and Rachel, emerging into a much less crowded hallway. The other students who'd been watching before were gone now, and there was only Finn, Mercedes, Sam and Santana now. _Where did they come from?_ Blaine thought hazily but then all thoughts zeroed in on Kurt – memories and near-deaths forgotten – with his knees pressed into his chest and sobbing so hard he was shaking violently.

He ran, skidding across the floor and falling jarringly to his knees beside Kurt before pulling him to his chest and holding him tightly. In his arms, Kurt continued to cry and stammer out words between chokes and gasps for breath.

"Sorry…" Cough. "Hurts…" Choke. "Scared…" Sob. "He…" Gasp. Pause. A shuddering breath, taking all his effort. "_Blaine_."

He knew how Kurt felt.

Squashed between Finn and Mercedes on the floor, Blaine ignored them and rubbed his boyfriend's back soothingly. "It's okay, it's okay, it's okay…" He kept on repeating those two words. He wanted to promise Kurt that it would never happen again, that he was safe, that Blaine would never let anything happen to him, that he would never get hurt again, and a thousand other things.

But now that Karofsky was back, he couldn't make those promises.

After a while – _too long_– Kurt started to calm down. He hiccupped on occasion and tears were still falling but they had lessened and he wasn't panicking like he had been before. It was then that Blaine noticed Kurt was slightly damp but not cold as he'd expected after being slushied. He caught Mercedes's eye and, knowing, she held up an empty water bottle.

"We had to get it out of his eyes. It hurts him more than us."

Blaine could only imagine how that had gone. While Puck had dragged him to a bathroom and stuck his head under a tap – as terrifying as that was – Mercedes and Finn hadn't had that luxury. He must have been _screaming..._ and Blaine hadn't heard him, too wrapped up in himself.

In the back of his mind he could hear footsteps, running, fast and close. He only looked up when he heard voices speak.

"Is he okay? God, I could hear him halfway across the school…"

"What happened?"

A few metres away stood Mr Schue and Coach Sylvester. The former was clearly upset at the situation, while Sue had been the one to ask the second question in a calm tone. But Blaine could see it in her eyes, and the way her jaw was tight and her hands flexed in and out of fists almost unconsciously. She was furious.

It took only two words to explain to the teachers what had gone so horribly wrong.

Sam was the one to say them. "Karofsky's back."

* * *

><p>On the way out of the school to the parking lot where Carole's car was parked, Kurt caught sight of a boy wearing a letterman jacket and burst into a full-blown panic attack, practically screaming the building down as Blaine, Finn, Carole and the present New Directions members tried to get him outside and away from the trigger. The boy glanced back and looked away quickly, ducking his head and disappearing as fast as he could. No one came to help. One teacher had the audacity to stick his head around the classroom door and ask if they could keep Kurt quiet.<p>

Sam was very likely to get suspended again.

Finn was made to stay at school, much to his anger, but Carole insisted and he stood in the doorway of the school and watched as she drove away with her adopted sons. Kurt refused to let go of Blaine at all, even to get in and out of the car and the house. Blaine had to pull him into his room, mouthing to Carole that he'd explain more later, and settle him on the bed because he wouldn't move on his own. He was frozen. His face was still tinted blue from the slushy, making him look worse than he was. Not that Blaine was sure it could _get_ much worse.

"Kurt," he whispered softly "I'm so sorry. I didn't protect you like I should have. I let him hurt you, _again_…" He moved to kiss Kurt's forehead but he shied away.

"S'il te plaît, tiens-moi. Ne me lâche pas. Ne le laisse pas s'approcher de moi," Kurt pleaded quietly, gripping Blaine's damp shirt so hard his knuckles were white. _Please, just hold me. Don't let me go. Don't let him near me.  
><em>  
>"Okay." Blaine did as he was asked. He held Kurt and didn't let him go. Soon enough, tired out by the whole ordeal, Kurt fell asleep in his arms, fingers slipping but the pain still clear on his face. Blaine lowered him until he was lying on his side on the bed just as the door creaked a warning. Glancing over, Carole was in the doorway.<p>

"How is he?"

"Terrified." It was the only word for it.

"Is he really back?"

"Yes."

Carole sighed. "I don't understand how they could have let him back… after what he did… Kurt took so long to recover from whatever that _bastard_did; how could they have let him back?"

Normally Blaine would have smiled and raised an eyebrow at Carole's unusual swearing, but he couldn't even make himself.

"You saw that teacher. No one cares," he said. It was an awful, morbid thought, but the truth. No one really cared. If they did, then the initial matter would have been investigated more thoroughly. Hell, the first instances of bullying years ago would have been addressed. But no one cared enough and now they were here, in this crappy situation wondering what they could do to heal someone as broken as Kurt.

"Is he asleep?"

He knew was Carole was really asking. If he would come and explain exactly what had gone down. Not that he'd been there for a good portion of it, instead freaking out in a bathroom almost drowning. But it didn't matter – he wasn't going anywhere.

"I'm not leaving him," he said, catching the woman's eye. "I promised him I wouldn't let him go."

He still had one arm draped over Kurt's stomach, fingers bunched in the fabric of the ruined shirt. It was the loosest hold he would allow himself and even that made him feel too far away from Kurt. He wasn't letting go.

Carole nodded and closed the door, leaving the two alone. With a shaky sigh, Blaine twisted and lay down beside Kurt, pressed as close to his body as possible, legs entwined and arms around him comfortingly. Comforting for who wasn't quite established nor of any concern. Blaine felt better knowing Kurt was in his arms and safe, and soon his exhaustion caught up with him just as it had with Kurt.

His dreams were full of the two boys who had so easily hurt him. One had damaged him permanently, the other certainly capable and in the process of doing so – to him and to Kurt.

He couldn't let that happen.

* * *

><p>Two days later, and New Directions was finally allowed to visit Kurt. Finn was the only one out of the group to have seen him in those two days and now the rest were eager to see for themselves how he was doing.<p>

The first Blaine knew about it was when the door to Kurt's room opened carefully and Finn poked his head around with a nervous look. Blaine sat up and glanced at him wearily, pulling a deeply-slumbering Kurt into his lap.

"What's up?"

"The, uh, the guys are here… they want to talk to you. See how Kurt is doing…"

Blaine sighed, and repeated what he'd been saying for two days every time someone wanted him to leave Kurt's side. "I promised him I wouldn't let him go."

"I'll look after him for you," Finn offered, sitting on the edge of the bed and looking down at Kurt. Blaine chewed on his lip contemplatively before banishing the thought entirely. He couldn't betray Kurt like that – he couldn't even think like that. What kind of boyfriend was he to start thinking about breaking that promise? After what had happened?

"No."

"Blaine." Finn hesitated for a moment. "I know he's your boyfriend and you love him, but I'm his brother as well, and I… I care about him. You know I wouldn't let anything happen to him."

Blaine nodded. "I know."

"I just want to help him, for once. I mean, the guys and I beat Karofsky's ass yesterday, but…"

"I know." Blaine bit his lip, brushing his fingers across Kurt's cheek. Finn deserved the chance to help his brother and Kurt trusted him… He didn't feel entirely comfortable with it but if Kurt stayed asleep, would it matter who was holding him?

Carefully, gently, Blaine transferred his boyfriend over, Kurt's head resting in Finn's lap. He felt sick in his stomach and an ache in his chest but he pushed it aside. He said desperately, pointedly, "Don't let go of him. You can't let go."

Finn wrapped an arm around his brother's stomach and nodded. "I won't."

Blaine nodded in return and with hesitation, slowly left the room, making sure the door was open so he could get back quicker, and headed towards the quiet sounds of chatter coming from the living room. When he entered, he found the entirety of New Directions in various places around the room, and they instantly fell silent the moment he walked in.

"Blaine, how are you?" Mercedes asked, getting up from the couch and hugging him. "And Kurt?"

Blaine managed a smile. He could see she was stressed and with the clear dark circles under her eyes, it wasn't letting her sleep. "I'm fine. Kurt's… okay." He paused, before sighing and giving them more details as they all stared at him. "He won't leave his room. He barely eats. He refuses to let me go and if he thinks I am he has a fit. He won't talk to me. I…" He sat down beside Mercedes, who pulled him close and rubbed his back. "I don't know what's wrong, or what to do."

"Kurt's strong, Blaine," Santana said from across the room with Brittany in her lap "He'll be alright." The smile that didn't reach her eyes and her forced tone wasn't fooling anyone – they all knew that this time, Kurt might _not_ be alright. None of them were sure how to fix him or if he even could be fixed.

The awkward silence was ended by Quinn clearing her throat and saying, "Well, let's not dwell on that. There's not much we can do. Blaine, did you know we have a new glee assignment?"

Despite the fact school and glee were practically the last things he wanted to talk about, Blaine humoured her and shook his head. Finn hadn't been telling him much because they hadn't seen much of each other since the incident – and considering they were close and lived in the same house, it was a ridiculous notion.

"Oh, well Mr Schue – he's asked about Kurt, actually, I'll tell him he's alright," Rachel piped up "But he's given us these t-shirts and we have to put a word or two on them about something we don't like about ourselves."

"Or that other's don't like," Mike added quietly "Something that makes you different."

"Yes, exactly," Rachel continued "So I was going to put 'talented', because you know, I was born that way and it makes me different to everyone else."

Tina rolled her eyes and explained a little more thoroughly to a bewildered Blaine. "We're going to wear the t-shirts for a performance in front of the school. We're singing Gaga's Born This Way."

Blaine nodded, understanding. He would bet anything that this had stemmed from Karofsky's attack, and that it was Mr Schue's way of trying to help them all deal with it. It was a nice gesture. It most likely wouldn't make the slightest difference, but it was still a nice gesture.

The glee clubbers quickly descended into telling Blaine what they'd chosen for their t-shirts. As tentative laughter filled the room over Brittany and Puck's dual 'I'm with stupid' idea, Blaine managed a faint smile. He hadn't seen anyone from the glee club other than Finn since the incident and it was _good_ to see them happy, despite the situation they were in. It felt _good_ to see the others happy, and it felt _good_ when Mercedes caught his eye and grinned. His smile widened just a little.

And then, echoing throughout the house, Kurt screamed.

Blaine jumped, back tense and straight, eyes wide. By the time the others had realised the implications and could react, Blaine had already leaped to his feet and was running for Kurt's room. He slammed the door open to find Finn sprawled on the floor and Kurt pressed against the headboard of his bed, knees to his chest and sobbing. When he saw Blaine he screamed an unintelligible mix of words and Blaine's heart sank. He ran to Kurt and wrapped his arms around him tightly, refusing to let go even when his boyfriend struggled and continued to scream.

"He just woke up…" Finn said from the floor, voice shaky "I just… I didn't do anything."

A number of the glee clubbers were standing in the doorway and two of them moved to help him up. Finn leaned on Puck as Kurt continued fighting against his boyfriend's grip. On his other side, Sam held him upright and stared helplessly at the scene while Santana pushed everyone else out of the room. Puck dragged his friends out and pulled the door closed with his foot behind them, leaving Blaine and a still-struggling Kurt alone in the room.

"Kurt, please, stop, I'm sorry, it's okay, please Kurt, come on, you have to stop, Kurt _just stop_!" Blaine was pleading and quiet to start with, but when the boy in his arms just wouldn't _stop_his voice rose and finally he was shouting. Kurt stilled instantly and tensed against Blaine's body, eyes shut tightly.

"I'm sorry," Blaine whispered, rocking him slightly "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell, I'm sorry."

"Tu es parti. Tu m'as quitté et tu m'as laissé seul." Kurt fought to get the words out. _You left. You let me go and you left me alone.  
><em>  
>"I'm so sorry." The shorter boy closed his eyes and pulled Kurt even closer, if that were possible. "I thought you would be okay with Finn, he wanted to look after you, he promised he would hold you and not let go, I thought you would be okay, I'm sorry…"<p>

All previous feelings of happiness and _good_ were gone. Now he just felt bad for feeling that way. How could he feel _good_ when his boyfriend was hurting and scarred and so broken? How dare he feel happy when Kurt was scared? How dare he smile when Kurt was crying? It was so wrong. All wrong.

Kurt hiccupped, the tears lessening. "J-je lui fais confiance, Finn. Je l'aime. Mais... Il ne comprend pas. J'ai pensé que toi, tu comprendrai."  
><em><br>I-I do trust Finn. I love him. But… he doesn't understand. I thought y-you would._

"What do you mean?" Blaine asked quietly.

"Quelqu'un t'a fait du mal avant. De la façon... De la façon qu'il m'a du fait mal." _Someone's hurt you before. The way… the way _he_ hurt me._

Blaine froze. He had never told Kurt about _him_. Kurt had his own _him_ and he hadn't thought it necessary or fair to tell him about the other _him_, the one who had so utterly destroyed his life he'd had to spend two years getting it back on track. He'd never told Kurt about what he'd gone through at St Dominic's. But for some reason he wasn't entirely surprised that he knew. Kurt had been through it too, and as two boys who had been hurt and beaten, they could both see the signs in others. Kurt had seen. He knew.

"I understand," Blaine said softly, just as Kurt said under his breath, "Mais différent." _But different_.

"Different how?"

Kurt stiffened at the question and didn't speak. Rubbing his arm, Blaine kissed his boyfriend's cheek and asked, "What do you mean, different?"

The way Kurt refused to respond scared him. Something wasn't right. All of this was bad, but how Kurt was reacting to that simple question, how he trembled and buried his head in his boyfriend's arms…

This was _wrong_. Blaine could feel it.

Carefully he turned Kurt around so he was facing him, and lifted his head with a hand under the other's chin. The brunette's eyes were wide and shiny with tears, the blue paler than usual. "Kurt, what did he do?"

The moment the words were out of his mouth, Kurt closed his eyes and the tears escaped again. He leaned forward, shaking his head even as he hid his face against Blaine's chest, hugging him tightly.

"Je ne peux pas... Je ne peux pas te le dire... Il me fera du mal..." Kurt choked. _I can't… I can't tell you… he'll hurt me…_

Blaine frowned in confusion and made Kurt look at him again. "Who? What's going on, Kurt? What happened?"

With a sob, Kurt collapsed against his boyfriend again, kissing him for all he was worth. Blaine started in surprise but unconsciously kissed back despite knowing this was _wrong_. There was a sense of desperation and urgency they'd never had before, and then Kurt was shoving him back against the headboard. Blaine's fingers tangled in the other's hair for what was essentially the first time and he couldn't help but think how soft and beautiful it felt against his palms, around his fingers.

In a brief moment of separation, Kurt pleaded in an almost hopeless voice, "S'il te plaît, ne me déteste pas." _Please don't hate me._

It was those words that made Blaine push Kurt away and force him to stop. The brunette stared at him, the pain evident in his eyes.

"I would never hate you, Kurt. Never," Blaine said quietly, one hand moving from his boyfriend's hair to cup his cheek. "Why would you ever think I would?"

Kurt bit his lip, hesitated, waited, thought, struggled to find the words to explain. And then -

"Parce que tu n'es pas le premier garçon que j'ai embrassé."

_Because you're not the first boy I kissed._

Blaine stared. Stunned didn't begin to cover it. Shock. Confusion. None of the words fit.

And it still felt wrong.

Clearly afraid of Blaine's reaction, Kurt started to ramble in a panic. "J'aurais aimé que ça soit toi. J'aurais aimé que tu sois le premier; je suis désolé, ce n'était pas de ma faute, ne quitte pas." _I wish it'd been you, I wish you were the first, I'm sorry, it wasn't my fault, please don't leave._

Keeping his composure as best he could, he asked in a level voice, silencing Kurt, "Who did you kiss?"

Kurt couldn't seem to force the name out. When he finally did, Blaine understood why. And his blood ran cold.

"K-Karofsky."

It took a long time for Blaine to comprehend that. And when it started to sink in, he knew he should be so angry. He should be furious and wanting to kill the bastard because he _knew_Kurt wouldn't have kissed him. Not of his own free will. Never. And maybe he would be angry later, but right now he was just confused and he needed to understand.

"Kurt…" He paused. "What happened?"

After a moment and some encouragement from Blaine, and promises he would never leave or hate him, Kurt told him.

_I hate it when Becky leaves me to walk on my own. I hate it because we're supposed to be friends, but she leaves me alone a lot. And I hate it because then I'm alone, and he can always get me when I'm alone._

_Suddenly he's right there and talking to me quietly, like he doesn't want anyone else to hear. I don't know where he came from but I can't run away because there's too many people, and I don't like people. Normally they leave me alone but if I have to run they're in the way and I don't want them to be there and then he can get me._

_"Follow me or I'll punch you right in your gay little face."_

_I don't like him. I don't want him to hurt me. If I do what he tells me, he won't hurt me. I don't want to follow him but I do. I follow him into the locker room. I hate the locker room. It smells and it's disgusting in there. He turns around and he grabs me by the shoulders and pushes me into a locker. I don't want him touching me it feels bad stop touching me LEAVE ME ALONE! I scream but then he hits me in the face and it hurts to open my mouth too much. So I cry. I want him to stop touching me, he's still touching me, I want him to let go._

_And then his mouth is on my mouth and that's kissing and I don't want him to, he can't do that. He's not allowed to kiss me. I want Blaine to kiss me, not him. This is bad, this is bad and I want him to stop but he won't stop STOP IT LEAVE ME ALONE STOP KISSING ME THIS IS BAD!_

_He stops kissing me but he looks scared and then he hits me again. And he keeps hitting me and then his hands are around my neck and I can't breathe. I can hear him saying I did something bad and that he'll hurt me if I tell, and then I'm on the floor and he runs away and leaves me there and everything hurts._

"Sorry." Kurt finished the account with the word Blaine didn't want to hear, because he shouldn't be sorry for that. He shouldn't be sorry for a sick bastard hurting him and kissing him when he didn't want it.

"God, Kurt…" He didn't know what to say. What could he possibly say that would even begin to make this better? Help fix it? Nothing could ever make this better. He'd been right – this was so, so _wrong_.

"Tu étais le premier qui a compté, je te le promets ," Kurt said desperately "Je voulais que tu sois le premier garçon que j'ai embrassé, mais il n'a pas voulu me laisser avoir ça; je suis désolé." _You were the first kiss that mattered, I promise. I wanted you to be the first boy I kissed but he wouldn't let me have that; I'm sorry._

In a flash, the conversation they had shared back when they had first kissed hit Blaine and finally he understood why Kurt had been panicking about 'kissing him when he didn't want to' and 'hurting him'. He understood why Kurt had flinched when he'd said he was allowed to say no. God, Karofsky hadn't even given him the chance to say no. He'd just _forced_ a kiss on him…

He understood why Kurt hadn't wanted the boys to touch him.

"Kurt, I want you to understand something, okay?" Blaine needed to get this out before he completely lost his head. Kurt nodded tearfully. "There's a difference between you kissing someone and someone kissing you. You didn't kiss Karofsky. He kissed you, because he started it."

"Alors…" Kurt said slowly, voice still thick "Tu es le premier garçon que j'ai embrassé? Tu es toujours le premier?" _So… You were the first boy I kissed? You were still the first?_

Blaine nodded. And for the first time in two days, Kurt _smiled_and threw his arms around him, squeezing every last molecule of air out of Blaine's lungs. Blaine coughed out a surprised sound but hugged him back.

"Je voulais que tu sois le premier parce que je t'aime. Je croyais qu'il m'avais pris ça... " Kurt mumbled into Blaine's chest. _I wanted you to be the first, because I love you. I thought he took that away from me…_

"No one can take that away from you, Kurt. It's up to you who you kiss. But he… he _hurt_ you, Kurt. In a worse way than he's _ever_ done. Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"Il a dit qu'il me ferait encore du mal._" He said he'd hurt me again._

Blaine nodded, mostly because there wasn't much he could say at the moment. He was still trying to sort this all out in his head. Kurt didn't seem to mind though. He curled up against Blaine's side, head resting on his chest and let out a deep sigh.

"Kurt, I… I need to sort something out… are you going to be okay… on your own?" He had to have some space to think, to freak out, to hit things and be angry. But if Kurt needed him he'd stay.

The brunette chewed on his lip for a moment. "Est-ce que Finn peut rester avec moi? Je dois m'excuser pour... tantôt," he finally asked. _Can Finn stay with me? I need to apologise for… before._

Blaine nodded with the faintest trace of a smile. "Of course. I'll get him for you." He moved to get up off the bed but paused. "I love you, Kurt."

"Je t'aime aussi."

Blaine carefully slipped off the bed and paused once more in the doorway, glancing back at Kurt before leaving. He found his friends waiting in the living room, and they all jumped up as he entered.

"Is he okay?"

"What happened?"

"Is he gonna be alright?"

"Blaine?"

He held up his hands, exhausted. He couldn't deal with them right now. "You should all just go home. Kurt's fine. Finn, he wants you."

No one could deny that Finn's face practically lit up when Blaine said that. He was gone within seconds, and the rest of the teenagers in the room slowly filed out and headed for the front door reluctantly, saying good byes and giving offers of help if it was ever needed.

By the time everyone was gone, Blaine was so drained and exhausted he didn't have the energy to be angry. He just wanted to cry.

He made his way to his room and, after locking the door, collapsed on the bed and did just that. He didn't hold back the tears and they flowed freely as he sobbed into his pillow.

Karofsky had hurt his boyfriend in an _awful _way. Kurt might be happy knowing Blaine was still his first kiss and that his boyfriend didn't hate him, but Blaine wasn't sure he could deal with this. This was… big. It was bad. It was a dirty secret that couldn't remain a secret if Blaine were to protect Kurt – something he hadn't been doing a very good job of. Someone had to know.

But for the moment, he didn't really want to think about who to tell or if he should, or what he'd do to Karofsky if he ever got the chance.

Right now, he just wanted to cry over the fact that some asshole had abused his boyfriend like that and he hadn't protected him.

* * *

><p>Kurt wasn't ready to go back until the beginning of the next week, and even then he was nervous beyond belief. Burt, Carole and the entirety of the glee club, including Mr Schue and an irate Sue Sylvester, had tried to get Karofsky suspended but as no one was willing to back up their version of events – no one wanted to mess with the guys at the top of the food chain – there was nothing Figgins could do. Karofsky was still walking around the school with a smug expression on his face (albeit a bruised one. The boys had done quite a good job with him) and while only Blaine knew about what he'd really done, no one wanted Kurt to go back. But in the end, Kurt had said he wanted to. He didn't want to hide all the time. Being home schooled or going to another school wasn't going to solve the problem and it was running away – something Kurt refused to do. As scared as he was, he wouldn't back down on that.<p>

Which was how Blaine found himself walking back into McKinley on Monday morning, Kurt by his side and half of New Directions surrounding them. None of the students in the hallways could look them in the eye and those that tried were intimidated by the fierce glares of Sam, Mercedes and Finn. The latter had a hand on his brother's back, vicious and murderous intent in his eyes. Anyone who hurt Kurt in the slightest was on his hit list. At the top of that list was one David Karofsky.

He had guts – Blaine had to give him that. The jock who'd so brutally hurt Kurt was chatting with one of his football friends in the corridor; a corridor they had to walk down in order to get to Kurt and Blaine's first class. As they passed, Karofsky glanced over and smirked, so _satisfied_ with himself that Blaine couldn't stop himself. This was the boy that had kissed his boyfriend without permission, beaten him, strangled him, thrown slushies at him, taunted him and tormented him throughout his high school life. And for years, he'd gotten away with it every single time.

Not anymore.

Blaine slipped out from the protective detail around him and Kurt and Quinn, bringing up the rear, frowned and turned to him.

"Just go," Blaine said quietly "I'll only be a minute."

The blonde bit her lip but nodded, shooting a dark look Karofsky's way. Mercedes noticed his absence a second later but Quinn whispered in her ear. The girl looked back at Blaine and nodded firmly. _You do what you need to_.

As soon as he was sure the group was out of earshot and sight, Blaine turned to Karofsky – who'd been keeping an eye on the situation – and said in a clear, level voice, "Karofsky, a word?"

The boy snorted with laughter. "Hey, you got something to say you can say it here. Go on; bitch about how mean I am, putting you two fags in your place."

"You'll regret it," was Blaine's calm reply.

"Go on," the footballer goaded him.

In the same voice, only a little louder, Blaine said, "I know what you did."

"What, slushied him? You're a bit slow, fairy…"

Blaine interrupted him. "I know what you did to him in the locker room."

The students in the hallway stared, whispering among themselves. Karofsky fell silent, his friend raising an eyebrow. And then, before Blaine could react, he was being slammed backwards into a locker, the sharp edges digging in and he knew they'd leave bruises.

"What the hell do you think you're playing at?" Karofsky hissed in his ear "I didn't do anything to him. Whatever he's said, he's lying."

Blaine looked right into the taller boy's eyes, letting a little of his building anger seep into his voice. How dare he deny what he did? They both knew the truth and he still thought he could bury it.

"I'd be very careful about what you do from now on," he said, quietly so no one else could hear. "Don't you think for one second that I'm going to let this go. You hurt him, and I'll make sure you go down for it."

Karofsky sneered, but there was hesitation in his eyes. He faltered before throwing Blaine to the ground. Face to the floor, Blaine smirked. He had him scared.  
>"Get out of here, fag," the jock said, and only he and Blaine heard the tremor in his voice.<p>

Slowly, Blaine picked himself up and walked away without looking back.

* * *

><p>When Kurt and Blaine walked into glee practice that afternoon, the relief on Mr Schue's face was obvious. He didn't even try to hide it as he smiled and said, "I'm glad you're back."<p>

Blaine just smiled at him in response, Kurt nodding faintly. The attention he'd been getting was overwhelming him. Sue had gone on the warpath, pushing kids around and being more of a bitch than usual, and specifically targeting the football players who weren't in glee club. A couple of the cheerleaders had mentioned to the group that they were sorry about what Karofsky had did, and of course New Directions had been more than overprotective since the attack. They didn't know the full extent, but that didn't stop them from worrying. They knew something bad had gone down, and then the slushy incident had pushed Kurt over the edge.

Blaine wasn't sure it wasn't going to push him over either. The only thing keeping him from completely losing control and hurting someone was knowing he had Karofsky scared and while he knew his dirty little secret he had the upper hand. He could keep Kurt safe without resorting to violence.

Once everyone was seated, the director spoke. "Well, I hope you all know that the performance is at the end of the week, and we're going to practice as a whole group tomorrow." He glanced at Blaine and Kurt, not sure if they knew. The former nodded. As Mr Schue continued, the door to the choir room opened and in walked Miss Pillsbury with a smile on her face.

"Emma's going to help you all print the words on your t-shirts. I hope you've all chosen by now."

Kurt lifted his head and whispered in Blaine's ear, "Que vas-tu mettre? Hobbit ou gel pour cheveux?" _What are you going to put? Hobbit or Hair Gel?  
><em>  
>Blaine smiled. "I'm not going to tell you. You should be able to figure it out anyway. What about you?"<p>

Over the week Kurt had been away from school, they'd talked about this assignment at great length, discussing possible insecurities or differences they could put on their shirts. Neither had really come to a conclusions – at least, not to each other.

"Si tu ne me le dis pas, je ferais de même." Kurt smirked "De toute façon, tu devrais être en mesure de le deviner." _If you're not telling, then neither am I. You should be able to figure it out anyway._

Blaine shook his head with a smile. His boyfriend was amazing. There was no two ways about it. He had the best boyfriend on the face of the planet. Nothing against Mercedes or Tina or Quinn, but he really did have the best. And knowing someone had taken advantage of him made his blood boil.

He wasn't going to let this go.

* * *

><p>Performance day came quicker than anyone expected. Before they knew it, and before they were sure they were ready, they were standing back stage with the entire school waiting to watch them sing. They'd done this many times before but each time was nerve wracking, especially when it was as important to the club members as this song.<p>

"Alright," Finn said, gathering everyone in a circle and trying to keep their spirits up "We're on in a minute. We've practiced this to death. We can totally do this."

"Finn's right," Artie piped up "This is something more important than we've ever done. It's a statement. It's telling this school that we exist and we matter and we don't care what they think about it. We're proud of ourselves."

"To being who we are," Sam said, holding out a hand into the middle of the circle. One by one the others followed suit, repeating the phrase until everyone had their hands stacked, including Kurt.

"Guys," Mr Schue's voice interrupted them suddenly "You're on."

The kids threw their hands in the air with a cheer and a grin from all, and filed out onto the stage. Blaine tugged at his jacket, glancing over at Kurt. The brunette smiled back at him and made sure his plaid shirt was hiding the white one underneath. They still didn't know what the other had put on their shirts, though if Blaine thought about it he was pretty sure he knew what Kurt's would say.  
><em><br>It'll be a little bit weird if it's the same as mine_, he thought, sure it would be. _But it's the truth, and that's all that matters. Besides, maybe getting it drilled into their heads twice might actually make it sink in._

Blaine watched from his spot on stage as Kurt stood at the front and stared right out into the audience of teenagers and teachers, starting the song.

_It doesn't matter if you love him  
>Or capital H I M<br>Just put your paws up  
>'Cause you were born this way, baby<em>

Mercedes and Tina walked on from either side of the stage – Tina's shirt hidden, Mercedes's NO WEAVE clear to all – and stand next to him. Once he'd finished singing, they grabbed his shirt and ripped it off of him, much to the surprise of those watching. There were a number of gasps before they realised yes, he was wearing something underneath, and then there were strange looks and confused glances as Tina took the stage to continue the song.

_My mama told me when I was young  
>We are all born superstars<br>She rolled my hair, put my lipstick on  
>In the glass of her boudoir<em>

Now it was Mercedes's turn to sing, fierce and strong as Brittany and Sam made their way out to sing and dance behind her. Blaine still couldn't see Kurt's shirt but Tina was smiling in his direction proudly.

_There's nothing wrong with loving who you are  
>Because He made you perfect, babe<br>So hold your head up girl, and you'll go far  
>Listen to me when I say<em>

The five turned their backs to the audience and headed for centre stage, and finally Blaine got to see. He almost laughed at himself, feeling a little dumb. Why had he thought it would be anything other than AUTISTIC emblazoned across the front of his shirt? He almost missed his cue to start singing with the rest of the group, but slipped in just in time.

_I'm beautiful in my way  
>'Cause God makes no mistakes<br>I'm on the right track, baby  
>I was born this way<em>

They were all singing and dancing now, Blaine sliding into place beside his boyfriend. He shot him a grin and Kurt just smiled in return, shaking his head slightly. Around him, Blaine caught sight of a few t-shirts not hidden by their owner's jackets. Mike's CAN'T SING and Rachel's TALENTED were the ones he noticed straight away, and he couldn't wait to see what the others had come up with.

_Don't hide yourself in regret  
>Just love yourself and you're set<br>I'm on the right track, baby  
>I was born this way<em>

Kurt sang again, dancing perfectly in time. Blaine and the other boys followed him to the front of the stage, and he tried not to laugh at Finn's ineptness at following the choreography – probably best that his shirt proclaimed CAN'T DANCE.

_Don't be drag, just be a queen  
>Whether you're broke or evergreen<br>You're black, white, beige, chola descent  
>You're Lebanese, you're orient<em>

The boys all tore off their jackets to reveal the words they'd put on their shirts – their insecurities, their differences, what set them apart. Blaine glanced over them – TROUTY MOUTH, FOUR EYES, and Puck's half of the I'M WITH STUPID idea he was sharing with Brittany, along with Finn and Mike. He noticed Kurt watching him out of the corner of his eye and grinned as he revealed to the school that he was GAY.

_Okay, so it's not the most shocking of revelations, but it makes my point_, Blaine thought as he sought out one person in particular. He couldn't find him, but he knew he'd be there. Watching.

_Whether life's disabilities  
>Left you outcast, bullied or teased<br>Rejoice and love yourself today  
>'Cause baby, you were born this way<em>

Now it was everyone's turn to sing, and the boys moved back to let the girls show off what they'd chosen for their shirts. Rachel stood alongside Quinn's BLONDE, then Tina's BROWN EYES, Santana's BITCH, followed by Brittany and Mercedes.

_No matter gay, straight or bi  
>Lesbian, transgendered life<br>I'm on the right track, baby  
>I was born to survive<em>

_No matter black, white or beige  
>Chola or orient made<br>I'm on the right track, baby  
>I was born to be brave<em>

_I'm beautiful in my way  
>'Cause God makes no mistakes<br>I'm on the right track, baby  
>I was born this way<em>

_Don't hide yourself in regret,  
>Just love yourself and you're set<br>I'm on the right track, baby  
>I was born this way, yeah<em>

Kurt and Mercedes were owning the song, in Blaine's opinion. The girl's voice was stronger than he'd ever heard it before, and Kurt was smiling again, with no doubt that he was enjoying himself. Blaine was distracted for a moment from the performance as he finally caught sight of Karofsky in the crowd. He was with a group of his friends, some from the football team and some others just generally unfriendly-looking people. The boy leaned over to one of his friends and muttered something, and the guy grinned and nodded.

Blaine didn't like the look of it.

_Ooh, there ain't no other way  
>Baby, I was born this way<br>Baby, I was born this way  
>Ooh, there ain't no other way<br>Baby, I was born this way  
>I'm on the right track, baby<br>I was born this way_

_I was born this way, hey  
>I was born this way, hey<br>I'm on the right track, baby  
>I was born this way, hey<em>

_I was born this way, hey  
>I was born this way, hey<br>I'm on the right track, baby  
>I was born this way, hey<em>

As soon as the song ended there was respectful applause from the majority of those watching, with the exception of two groups on opposite ends of the crowd. On one side a small collection of kids were cheering and shouting out praise. It wasn't obvious for some but for others, with their glasses and dorky clothes and general separation from the rest of the pack, it was clear they were the bottom of the social hierarchy. The nerds.

On the other side stood Karofsky and his friends. The boy himself did nothing, but simply let one after another of the guys around him stand up and shout obscenities at the glee club.

"Faggots!"

"Go to hell!"

"Freaks!"

As more and more stood up to insult the glee club, their noise drowned out whatever support they'd gained and the geeky group of teenagers shut up quickly, avoiding the looks of the popular boys and girls whose shouts filled the ears of everyone and deafened the room.

"I hope you all die!"

"Losers!"

"Retards!"

The words had their desired effect. Artie was visibly fuming, fists clenched, and Brittany was holding Santana back from leaping off the stage and ripping the head off a girl calling her a hooker no more than ten feet away. Sam looked lost, Tina was tearing up and as soon as 'retard' hit the air, Mike instantly grabbed Blaine to stop him from following Santana's lead.

The teachers couldn't stop it. It had spiraled out of control so fast and it was only when Mr Schue ushered his glee club off the stage that the laughter and cheers broke out and the chaos started to die down.

Out in the hallway, the teenagers all started shouting at once.

"I can't believe they did that!" Puck swore, pacing and furious.

Mercedes was almost louder than all the rest. "How could they?"

Santana launched into a rant in Spanish while Mike comforted his girlfriend and Kurt fell into Blaine's arms, shaking slightly. Finn dropped to the floor, leaning against a wall and letting his face fall to his hands. Sam kicked the wall and began muttering angrily to himself while Rachel, with her hands on her hips, berated everyone she could think of from the insulting audience to the teachers who hadn't stopped it and everyone in between.

"I don't even know why we did that," Quinn said sourly "Of course they weren't going to like it. What did we expect? That people were going to like us for being losers? It's never going to happen, it was a stupid idea. We look even more like idiots now."

Suddenly, a small voice spoke up, "Excuse me?"

Everyone fell silent and turned to face the source of the voice. There was a boy there, short enough to be a freshman, wearing black skinny jeans and a band tee. He tilted his head back a little to look at them from under his ragged bright red fringe and smiled tentatively.

"I, uh… some of my friends and I… we thought that was really good. And you know… really brave."

"Thank you," Blaine said, the only one able to reply because the others were too surprised.

The boy nodded and headed back up the hall where two girls his age were waiting, one with plaited blonde hair and knee high socks, and the other dressed plainly with heavy braces.

As soon as they'd gone, Blaine turned to the group. "_That's_why we did it," he said "For us, and for them. The people who know how it feels."

"Who understand," Artie added.

"Exactly." Blaine made sure everyone was listening before glancing down at Kurt, who was gazing up at him with a small smile. "We know we were great, and they know it. The only way they know how to stop us losers from standing up is to cut us down the way they did. But it's not going to stop us, is it?"

Slowly, but unanimously, the rest of the group agreed. Rachel spoke up, "No. Nothing's going to stop us."

As the others started to talk quietly amongst themselves , Blaine thought about Karofsky. He'd started it. There was no doubt about it. He hadn't said anything himself but he'd been the one to initiate the entire debacle. He'd been breaking through thin ice and now?

He was going down.

He wasn't going to let Karofsky hurt his boyfriend anymore. He wasn't going to let him get away with what he'd done.

This ended now.

* * *

><p><strong>Next: They both know neither of them will ever back down. They're too stubborn and there's too much on the line. Eventually, someone has to crack under the pressure...<strong>

**I**** know Karofsky's character doesn't fit very much with how he's portrayed on the show, especially in the later seasons, but the next chapter will deal with the aftermath of this and there will definately be some Karofsky character building. Also, am I the only one who absolutely hated the Lucy Fabray storyline? Mostly because it literally just popped up out of nowhere and was never spoken about again... Hence, Quinn's shirt is not the same as the one in the show. **

**Also, I just wanted to mention that today is my eighteenth birthday :) I had a ton of fun and got some awesome presents, went out for dinner with the family and I'm going out with friends in a few days to celebrate... but it's kind of sad, you know? It's the end of my childhood. I've been treated as an adult for the last few years but technically I was still a kid. Now I'm not. It's sad to think that I can never have that back. But I do have the rest of my life ahead of me to look forward to, and now that I'm an adult I can do the stuff I want to do, so that's a plus :)**

**I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I was a little iffy about putting Kurt's POV in there, mainly because I don't actually know generally how autistic people think, and I didn't want to offend anyone or make Kurt look dumb when he's certainly not. I hope I did alright.**

**Please review :)**


	17. You Hurt My Boyfriend Prepare to Die

**EDIT2: I've got a poll up on my page asking which two characters you'd like to see in the next chapter. I haven't written about some of them as much as others and I'd like to know which ones you want to see more of. Please vote!**

**Hey everyone. I didn't really want to leave you all hanging after the last chapter, but unfortunately... I did :/ I am sorry for that. Apparently I took so long that my translator has given me up as a lost cause (at least, I wouldn't be surprised). I haven't heard back from her after giving her the translations, so in order to get the chapter up for you guys I've done it all through an online translator. The French will be absolutely shocking and horrific and I apologise for that, but I will update it once Verdandil gets back to me (unless someone would like to correct it for me).**

**Shout outs to an anonymous guest, missjayne76 (Blaine was more than happy to give Kurt a hug from you), oliviaanne3, intensewhatever, Stormdesigner (and your friends!), Patricia Sage and meow-meow-the-unicorn. And thank you to everyone who's still reading and sticking with me through my absolutely atrocious updating. **

**EDIT1: Thank you to AlexaCardew for helping with some of the French! I appreciate it :D**

* * *

><p><span>My Name Is Blaine Anderson. You Hurt My Boyfriend. Prepare To Die.<span>

**So Karofsky's dirty secret is out. At least, Blaine knows. And he's determined that he won't ever let Karofsky hurt his boyfriend again. Neither of them are about to back down when something this big is at stake - Karofsky's secret and Blaine's boyfriend. Eventually, something will have to snap. Featuring angry Blaine, protective ND, kinda sexy Klaine, and a much-needed conversation between two rivals.**

* * *

><p>Blaine slammed a carefully aimed fist into the punching bag, satisfied at the solid thud and the slight movement of the bag. He threw another punch, then two in quick succession, keeping a steady rhythm as he put all the force he could muster behind his fist. He'd been doing this for the past half-hour and he was covered in sweat, his muscles sore and aching, and he hadn't stopped at all during that period for a rest or water. His motivation refused to let him take a break.<p>

He was _angry_.

He couldn't remember being permanently this angry in his life. Even when he'd gone through all that crap at the hands of that _psycho_ at St Dominic's, he hadn't been this angry. He'd tried to fight back, gotten a little mad and then just given up because there was just no way out. He hadn't been this angry at his father for not listening to him, for trying to send him back to that hellhole. He hadn't been this angry at his mother for constantly pushing him and degrading him with every second word.

He remembered trying to punch Santana once, although Puck stepped in to stop the blow. He'd been furious at how people treated Kurt during once of his panic attacks. He'd purposely hit Puck when Kurt had been attacked in the locker room by Karofsky, unable to handle what had just happened – and he hadn't even known the full story. He knew he'd been this angry before, but not like _this_. Not for so long. It had been a quick flash before, but now it seemed he was stuck with it; this anger smouldering inside him, making every muscle hot and twitchy, every nerve set on fire and constantly urging him to lash out. He hated it. But more than that, he was scared. He was violently angry, feeling as if he were a wire stretched taut and any second he was going snap, and it_ scared _him. He was afraid that he would snap, and that someone might get hurt. And the people who'd get hurt might be his friends again. Might be Kurt. That thought terrified Blaine more than anything. But he couldn't get rid of this _anger_ without physically letting it out, which was why he was beating the crap out of a punching bag until he felt a little calmer.

Except he'd been going at it for half an hour and it didn't seem like calm was coming to him any time soon.

He heard the door to the locker room open but he didn't look up, not breaking his rhythm. One, one, two, one, one, two, harder slam, one, one, two…

"Blaine?"

He didn't stop – he wasn't sure that he could. It was the momentum for his routine that was keeping him upright and if he stopped he was pretty sure his legs would give out under him. That, or his heavy, tired arms would drag him down.

"Blaine, please…"

Kurt's tone of voice tore him in two. Half of him wanted to stop; his boyfriend was clearly worried about him. But the other half, the part of him that was fuelled by relentless anger, told him to keep going – he was doing this for Kurt. He had to protect him. He hadn't been able to keep him safe before, but he'd be damned if Karofsky hurt his boyfriend again…

The name, even just thought of in his mind, was enough to send him over the edge. It was like someone had just poured gas on the fire inside him and it flared, raging. He pounded the punching bag mercilessly, fast and hard, letting out a shout as one fist missed its target and he lost balance, crashing to the floor. He lay there for a moment, unable to really move from exhaustion, breathing heavily, the fire still hot in his chest.

And then above him Kurt appeared, a worried expression on his face as he touched Blaine's face hesitantly and asked if he was okay – and suddenly he felt that calmness he'd been trying to find. Blaine nodded, waiting until he could breathe before asking the brunette to help him sit up. Dizziness hit him for a minute and he held his head in his hands, Kurt's light touch on his back reassuring him. Something was pressed into his hand and he stared at it blankly for a moment before realising what it was. Quickly he unscrewed the bottle's cap and downed a third of the water in one breath.

"I'm okay," he said, glancing at Kurt. But one look in his concerned eyes and Blaine had to drop his gaze to the floor. If it were any of the other guys, they would have let the matter drop and Blaine would have been glad. And he knew Kurt wouldn't ask any more about it if he knew his boyfriend didn't want to talk. But seeing how afraid he was made Blaine feel as if he owed Kurt an explanation for why he was being so stupid.

"I'm sorry…" he started but before he could continue Kurt pulled him into a hug. He returned it without thinking, nestling his head against his boyfriend's neck and sighing. "I'm sorry. I just… I feel so _angry _all the time, and this is the only way I can let it out. I didn't mean to scare you."

"C'est okay." Kurt said quietly "Au moins tu n'es pas blesser des gens. Mais tu dois être prudent-"

_It's okay. At least you're not hurting people. But you have to be careful-_

Blaine smiled, "I know. I should have stopped a lot sooner."

They were quiet for a minute, Blaine regaining a little strength and finishing the last of the water. His stomach growled – he was starving but he didn't particularly want to get up. His limbs were still weak and trembling, and he wasn't sure he could stand on his own, let alone walk anywhere.

Suddenly, out of the blue, Kurt spoke up. "Fais pas de bêtises. S'il te plaît?"  
><em><br>Don't do anything stupid. Please?  
><em>  
>Blaine looked up at him. He had the feeling he knew exactly what Kurt was talking about, and it wasn't boxing. But, feeling the way he did, he wasn't sure he could make that promise.<p>

"I'll try."

Kurt smiled sadly, and Blaine looked away. It was clear it wasn't good enough, but Kurt would deal with it – and not for the first time, Blaine wished he wasn't so _angry_.

* * *

><p>For a week Karofsky left the glee club mostly alone, only throwing a few insults their way. Occasionally if Blaine and Kurt were alone – which wasn't often – he would stand in their way and generally be a menace watching them in the halls. Kurt would stare at the floor but Blaine would meet the bully's gaze, silently telling him in no uncertain terms that he wasn't afraid of him. That he would do whatever it took to keep Kurt safe from him. And for a week nothing sinister happened. No one ended up with bruises, no one disappeared during the breaks and no one ended up with a slushy to the face. It was like a tense ceasefire now that Karofsky knew Blaine knew about his dirty little secret.<p>

But it had to end sometime.

"Are you sure you're…" Tina started to ask but Blaine waved her off "We'll be fine. I just have to grab something from my locker and then Kurt and I can walk to glee on our own. Thanks for the offer though."

Tina bit her lip and beside her, Mike nodded. "We'll see you soon then."

The pair walked off towards the choir room but Blaine and Kurt turned the other way, heading in the direction of Blaine's locker. He'd left his phone there as the teacher of his last class had the annoying habit of confiscating them for no apparent reason. If he could see them, they got taken and Blaine didn't like the idea of not getting it back until the next day.

The corridors were quiet since everyone had gone home already and the two walked hand in hand, Kurt smiling over at his boyfriend. Blaine caught the look and chuckled. "What?"

"Rien." Kurt replied, his smile widening to a grin "J'aime juste être seul avec toi."  
><em><br>Nothing. I just like being alone with you_.

Blaine couldn't – and didn't – fight the smile that broke out on his face and as he reached his locker, stopped and turned to his boyfriend. "Well, how's that for coincidence? I like being alone with you too." He kissed him gently, the hand that wasn't holding Kurt's reaching up to rest on the back of his neck. As Kurt kissed back – and was therefore distracted – Blaine attempted to slide his hand up into the brunette's hair but Kurt smiled against his lips and pulled his hand away.

"Aww, baby, I love your hair," Blaine laughed, and his boyfriend raised an eyebrow. "Moi aussi. Et je voudrais qu'il reste comme il est, merci."

_So do I. And I'd like it to stay the way it is, thank you._

Blaine started to respond but Kurt shut him up with another kiss, and he wasn't about to complain. He knew they had glee to get to but they could be late for once. He wasn't going to stop kissing his boyfriend for glee, especially when Kurt was tentatively running his fingers through Blaine's hair.

He'd begun gelling it back less and less until it was only hairspray that held his crazy hair in place – albeit a generous half a can at times – because Kurt had once mentioned off-hand that he found his curls cute. He was rather glad he'd made that decision now because Kurt's hands in his hair, gently tugging on his curls, was making him feel all sorts of amazing things. It didn't help that the brunette was still kissing him and he couldn't stop the low moan that escaped his throat.

He froze in horror for a split-second. _I've probably just freaked him out, and why the hell am I even feeling stuff like this? This is Kurt, I shouldn't feel like this! Even if he is attractive, and amazing, and hot… _But before he could stutter out an apology, one of Kurt's hand dropped to his boyfriend's chest and he shoved him back against the lockers, kissing him hard. The breath was knocked from Blaine's lungs and he gasped as Kurt claimed his mouth and gave him little to no chance to breathe. Not that he was complaining. He pulled the brunette close and ran his hands down his back as their tongue clashed and Kurt pulled roughly on Blaine's hair.

As suddenly as it had started, it ended in a second when Kurt pulled back, eyes wide. Blaine took a minute to get his breath back, smirking to himself at his boyfriend's kiss-bruised lips.

"P-Pourqui j'ai fait tout cela?" he asked, blinking in slight confusion. _W-Why did I just do that? _The expression disappeared quickly and he giggled as Blaine grinned and took one of his hands, kissing his knuckles lightly.

"Because," Blaine said, putting his arms around his boyfriend's shoulders and holding his gaze "You're a teenage boy with raging hormones."

"Because you're a freak." The loud, familiar voice echoed through the hall, making the pair jump. They turned to see none other than Karofsky standing a little way down the corridor with two football jocks behind him. Blaine stepped in front of his boyfriend protectively as they advanced.

"I've had enough of you two parading around like you belong here. You need to be put in your place," Karofsky said, but as Blaine locked eyes with him he saw the fear behind the boy's bravado. He had a good idea what he was scared of too. He was afraid his secret would get spilled, and he couldn't handle the thought that someone could potentially ruin his life by letting it slip that he'd kissed a guy. And not just a guy, but _Kurt_.

A hand reached out for him and he tried to dodge, but he was knocked down fairly quickly. As he hit the floor on his ass, he couldn't protect Kurt from the two jocks who stepped forward as Kurt stepped back, torn between running and staying with his boyfriend.

"Get out of here, Kurt," Blaine said, more harshly than he meant. Kurt flinched and it was only when Blaine shouted, "Kurt, go!" that he turned on his heel and _ran_. Karofsky's minions glanced back at him and a nod from their leader had them running after him, Blaine able to do nothing but watch helplessly from the floor as the three disappeared from sight around a corner.

Karofsky grabbed Blaine by the shirt and lifted him easily to his feet. Their faces an inch apart, Blaine refused to let his fear for Kurt show on his face. He wasn't going to give that to him. Karofsky said nothing more; just dragged him down the corridor with Blaine fighting all the way. He couldn't hear anything but Karofsky's footsteps and he was glad for that – it meant those guys hadn't caught up to Kurt. He'd be screaming blue murder if they'd grabbed him.

He didn't realise where he was being taken until they were outside. The sunlight was still bright enough to make Blaine squint at the sudden change but the parking lot was empty of most cars. There were a few teachers' vehicles, and what Blaine knew would be the glee clubbers' cars as well. He could spot Puck's truck and Mercedes's little black car with the custom plates – M3RCY 18. He had the abrupt fear that Karofsky was going to lock him in the trunk of his car or something, and dump his body out of town. At the moment, he wasn't sure he'd put it past him.

But Karofsky didn't pull him in the direction of the cars – he dragged him over to one of the dumpsters. He slammed Blaine into the side of it, gripping the front of his shirt tightly as he glared down at him.

"Who'd you tell?" he demanded.

"What?" Blaine frowned in confusion.

Karofsky pulled him forward then shoved him back hard against the dumpster. "Who'd you tell!?"

"I didn't tell anyone!"

"Liar!" Karofsky growled "I know you told! They're all looking at me! They know!"

"You're paranoid," Blaine said, fighting against Karofsky's grip and glaring up at him "I said if you hurt Kurt again I'd make sure you went down for it, and I swear to God if your friends have done something to him I will tell every single person at this school that you sexually abused my boyfriend. You won't be able to hide from it, no matter where you go."

Karofsky actually paled at that threat. "I never touched him. Not… not like…"

"You didn't have to." Blaine could feel the fire in his chest heat up and he struggled to keep it under control. "You kissed him. He didn't want it. It counts."

There was a moment of silence as Karofsky stared down at him with wide, scared eyes. Blaine felt a little afraid too, but he couldn't show it. He wanted to get out of this in one piece, as quickly as possible. But the silence was over too soon. Karofsky's expression changed from fear to anger and he lifted Blaine off the ground by the front of his shirt easily, heaving him over the edge of the open dumpster before the other boy could even react. He landed heavily in the rubbish that half-filled the dumpster, coughing at the smell and at having the wind knocked out of him briefly. He reached up, one hand grabbed at the edge to haul himself up but pain spiked down his arm as Karofsky slammed a fist down on his fingers. A second later the lid came crashing down and Blaine was locked in, surrounded by darkness and dirt.

Getting on his knees, Blaine pushed against the lid but it was too heavy – Karofsky was leaning on it, or had put something on top to keep him from opening it. Coughing, he tried harder, putting as much force as he could into his assault. But it did nothing. The only thing that stopped him from screaming for help – and giving Karofsky the satisfaction of hearing him scared – was the sound of voices talking. He paused and tried to listen. He could only catch a few words, but whoever they were (he assumed the two jocks from before), they sounded panicked.

"…on…us…coming…"

He heard Karofsky swear and, with his hands still pressed against the dumpster's lid, felt the pressure on it lift. He seized his chance and shoved hard, the lid flipping up with enough force to crash into the wall behind it and scare Karofsky and his minions. Someone yelped as Blaine shot out of the dumpster and tackled the taller boy to the ground.

The fire inside him burned white-hot as he scrambled over to a confused and winded Karofsky and punched him in the face.

"What did you do to him!?" he shouted, not even sparing the two other jocks a glance as they fled the scene, one yelling something about not signing up for psycho midgets and the wrath of the glee club.

"Blaine!" That was a different voice, but he paid little attention to that as well. He was too focused on bringing another fist down on Karofsky's face and shouting, "What did you do!?"

The jock held his arms up, protecting his face, but Blaine didn't let up. It was only when someone grabbed him around the chest and dragged him away that he actually stopped throwing punches, though he fought the hold. Karofsky pushed himself away from Blaine, wiping blood from his mouth and staring at him. He almost looked surprised.

"Blaine, calm down," a steady voice said, the grip around his chest tightening until Blaine acquiesced and relaxed a little. He glanced up to see it was Sam holding him back, and a look around showed him the entire glee club watching with various emotions. Some, like Quinn and Tina, Artie and Mr Schue, looked horrified at the scene. Puck and the guys were fixated on Karofsky, warning him without words to stay back. But some – Mercedes, Santana – had a look of understanding in their eyes. They knew what had set him off and neither of them blamed him at all.

And Kurt.

Kurt was standing just a few feet away from him with a terrified look on his face. But unharmed. He was okay. Blaine let out a deep sigh of relief and finally relaxed completely. Kurt was alright – that was all he needed to know. Seeing him there was more than enough to quell the raging fire and calm him down.

"What happened here?" Mr Schue asked, looking from Blaine to Karofsky and back again. Blaine didn't look away from Kurt as he answered, "It was a misunderstanding. Right?"

It was clear who the question was directed at, and Karofsky nodded, spitting out a harsh "Yeah." He hauled himself to his feet and staggered away, keeping his head down and avoiding anyone else's gaze.

"Kurt, are you okay?" Blaine choked out, suddenly exhausted. The brunette nodded, moving slowly to kneel next to him – just out of reach. He was scared of him. Sam let go of him and Blaine reached out with one hand, waiting until Kurt hesitantly took it before pulling him in and kissing his knuckles, reminding him of what they'd been doing before all of this. Good things. Kurt managed a smile and he took it as a good sign.

"What happened?" Rachel asked, arms folded across her chest "One minute we're starting a nice, calm meeting and the next Kurt's shouting out in the hallway and he's being chased by two guys."

"The second we walked out of the choir room and they saw us, they ran," Sam said and Blaine nodded, grateful. They hadn't got Kurt. That was the only important thing right now.

"Karofsky cornered us and I told Kurt to get out of there," he said quietly.

"We should have walked with you," Mike said. Blaine shook his head. "If he hadn't got us then, he would have done it some other time."

Kurt helped his boyfriend to his feet, moving to pull him into a hug but pausing. Wrinkling his nose, he muttered, "You smell."

For a short moment, everyone was quiet. And then slowly, they all started chuckling and laughing, Blaine grinning as he replied, "Dumpsters aren't exactly the nicest accommodation. I think I should probably go home and shower."

Home. Kurt's house. Even after all this time, the thought still gave him butterflies. Kurt smiled and pushed him away as Blaine tried to kiss his cheek, to the amusement of the rest of the glee club.

Arrangements were made quickly, and Mr Schue agreed they should all go home instead of staying for the glee club meeting. But just as everyone was leaving, he called for Blaine to stay back a moment. Biting his lip, he did as he was told, telling Kurt he'd catch up with him. Mr Schue was clearly unhappy and as soon as the rest of the teenagers had headed towards their cars, he voiced his concern. "Blaine, I'm going to have to tell Figgins about what just happened."

"Karofsky won't let anyone find out it was me who hit him," Blaine replied "It won't do any good."

Mr Schue sighed. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"Go on then. But I don't want to see that sort of thing happening again, understand?"

Blaine agreed, but he wasn't sure that was going to be the case.

* * *

><p>He was right. Figgins had asked the pair of them to his office, but Karofsky had staunchly denied being hit by Blaine. The bruise around his eye had been caused by an unfortunate accident with a football according to him. As there were no witnesses willing to come forward, there was nothing Figgins could do and he let them off. But it didn't take long for the rumours to spread.<p>

_Did you hear? That midget attacked Karofsky!_

_Oh my God, have you heard the rumour? Apparently Karofsky got punched by that Blaine guy! From the glee club! You know, the cute gay one!_

_Dude, you hear what's going around? Something about Dave getting his ass handed to him by some glee club fag? _

When the two football players Karofsky had sent after Kurt showed up to school with bruises, it didn't take a genius to figure out where the rumours had come from. They circulated around the school like wildfire, and soon neither Blaine nor Karofsky could walk down the hall without getting stared at. It was a little disconcerting in Blaine's opinion, having the entire school watching him as he made his way to classes. And because Kurt was always with him, he also had to bear the weight of everyone's eyes.

He thought that after their little fight, and the fact that the rumour mill was positively churning with the idea that a football player had been beaten up by a tiny gay kid, that Karofsky would leave him alone. But if anything, he stepped up his attack against Blaine and Kurt, and the glee club in general. Slushies made a triumphant return in the form of Mercedes, Finn and Sam walking into the choir room for a glee club meeting soaked to the bone and radiating the colours of the rainbow. Then Puck got ambushed after one football practice and he'd been tossed into a dumpster. Half the cheerleaders – the ones with boyfriends on the football team – started boycotting Santana and Brittany whenever they could, turning away from them in the halls and 'forgetting' to catch them in Cheerio practice. It was when Blaine turned a corner one day and found Karofsky and some of his friends teasing Tina to the point of tears that he knew enough was enough.

Karofsky had a problem with him. Not the rest of the glee club – just him. There was no justification in him hurting the others. He wanted Blaine. And he was going to get him.

* * *

><p>Blaine tapped his foot nervously, biting his lip. He'd sent the text half an hour ago, not long before school had ended, and since he'd been let out of class he'd been waiting in the locker room for the recipient of the text to find him. If he wasn't too afraid. As much as he wanted this whole thing to be over with already, Blaine couldn't help but hope that the guy wouldn't show up. He knew that if this went bad – and it most likely would – then he'd probably end up with a beating to rival those he'd received at St Dominic's.<p>

But it wasn't to be. The door to the locker room swung open and in walked Karofsky, looking around for him. When he caught sight of the smaller boy, he tensed visibly and closed the door behind him firmly.

"What's this about?" he asked in a harsh tone "Talk quick, or I might decide to stuff you into one of those lockers. You'd probably fit easily."

Blaine swallowed. "I want to talk about what's going on. And about what you did."

Karofsky flinched. "What?"

"This has to stop," Blaine said "Hurting everyone in glee club – it has to end. It's me you're mad at, not them."

"So?" Karofsky was trying to sound brave and confident, but he came off as the opposite – his voice trembled a little as he spoke and he was noticeably moving away from Blaine. "I can do whatever the hell I want to those freaks. And you."

"So why don't you?" Blaine stared at him directly, holding his gaze. "If it's me you're mad at, why not hurt me?"

The other boy didn't have an answer to that. He huffed angrily and sneered, but said nothing. After a long moment of silence, Blaine spoke again, this time in a harder tone and as much as he tried to keep the anger from his voice, he couldn't quite do it.

"Why did you do it?"

"What?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about."

Karofsky glared, walking a little closer to him and towering over him purposefully. Blaine was definitely intimidated but did his best not to show it. "I don't have to tell you anything."

"Then why are you even here?" Blaine demanded. "I have to know. Why would you do that? To him, of all people? He couldn't even stand to be around you, and after… after what you _did_, he wouldn't even let me touch him. He couldn't hear a boy's voice without screaming. Why the hell did you do that to him?" Blaine's voice rose as he continued until he was almost shouting. He didn't care anymore that Karofsky was probably going to kill him. He had to have his answers and he didn't care what the consequences were.

But he couldn't have predicted _these_ consequences.

Karofsky opened his mouth to shout but stopped, closing his jaw tightly. He stepped back a pace and said in a small voice, "I didn't mean to hurt him."

Blaine stopped dead. Of all the things the boy could have said, that hadn't been something he'd expected. He worked his jaw for a moment, trying to get the words out, and in the end settled on, "W-What?"

Karofsky growled, "You heard what I said. I didn't mean to hurt him! He probably wanted it anyway!"

Blaine gaped. "Did you even ask him? Say anything to him? Or did you just grab him and _hurt_ him because you're a big scary guy and you just _could_?" His knees felt weak. "How _dare_ you say he wanted it. Kurt was _heart-broken _because of what you did. He thought I'd break up with him because you kissed him! He thought I wouldn't love him! I can't believe… you can't possibly think he wanted it!"

"He's a teenage boy with hormones," Karofsky mimicked him in a high voice, before reverted to his normal tone "Of course he wanted it. I could do the same thing to you right now and you'd get off on it."

Blaine was speechless. He didn't know how on earth he was supposed to respond to that, because that white-hot rage was building up inside him again to the point where he thought his chest might explode from the pressure. He couldn't _believe_ what he was hearing. None of it made any sense.

"I don't know why the _hell _you would even kiss him in the first place," Blaine managed to say "Why Kurt? Why my boyfriend?"

Now it was Karofsky's turn to not be able to speak. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to think of the right thing to say but coming up empty every single time. And then Blaine saw it – he saw it in the boy's eyes. He didn't know how he hadn't thought of it before, but it made perfect sense now. He'd seen the look a thousand times before in his own eyes.

Before he'd come out.

All it took were four small words.

"Are you actually gay?"

The reaction was instantaneous. Karofsky reeled back as if he'd been hit and spluttered out, "Wh… I… N-No!"

Blaine lowered his voice and did his best to keep calm. "You know… you know it's…"

"Don't!" the other yelled, making Blaine flinch. He swallowed and with an expression on his face that seemed a mix between furious and terrified, Karofsky said in a quieter, more dangerous voice, "_Don't_ tell me it's okay. It's _not_."

Blaine was silent. He didn't know what to do. Karofsky was standing in front of him looking more like he was going to have a nervous breakdown every minute and he didn't know what to say. Karofsky was so far in denial about himself that he was hurting other people because of it – what the hell was supposed to _do_?

"Kissing a guy doesn't make me gay."

He sounded as if he were trying to convince himself. Blaine said gently, his voice trembling a little, "No, it doesn't. Even if you…" He had to force the words out. "_Liked _it, doesn't mean you're gay. But… you still might be, I mean… either way, it doesn't matter…"

"It does!" Karofsky stared at him like he was crazy "Of course it matters! But I'm not gay anyway. It's you stupid fags hanging around the place, spreading all your gay around."

"It's your parents, isn't it?" He didn't even need to ask the question. He recognised it from his own coming out – being afraid of the reaction from the people around him. One look at the footballer told him everything.

"Are you sure they wouldn't-"

"Yeah."

Blaine was pretty sure that the one word was the most accepting thing the boy had said so far.

"I know how you feel."

"Don't talk to me."

"My parents hate me. I had to move in with Kurt to avoid being sent somewhere that would have killed me, just because I had a boyfriend." Blaine wasn't sure why he was telling Karofsky this. "So yeah, I know how you feel. Maybe your parents will hate you for it. Maybe they won't. I don't know – I don't know your parents, but whether you tell them or not, you still have to accept it yourself. The more you try to deny it, the worse you're going to feel."

"I'm not gay."

Blaine sighed. "Okay. Whatever you say. But… if you need to talk or anything…"

"I already said," Karofsky interrupted, heading for the door "Don't talk to me."

He paused in the doorway. "You leave me the hell alone, and I'll leave your precious friends alone. I'll even lay off Kurt. But if you even _think_ of mentioning any of this to someone, _especially_ my parents…" He turned to face Blaine, and the boy was struck by the cold, dead determination in his eyes. "I'll kill you. You hear me?"

And then he left. He left Blaine standing in the locker room with his jaw hanging. He'd had death threats before – it had been almost a daily occurrence at St Dominic's, but there was something different about the way Karofsky had said it. At the other school, Blaine had quickly learned to take the death threats _very_ seriously – his main tormentor was certainly mean, cruel and a sadistic bastard, and also very capable of carrying out such a threat.

Karofsky? He couldn't see it happening.

But Blaine knew he wouldn't tell anyone about this conversation of theirs, or any of the revelations that had just been let slip. He wasn't like that. He wasn't like… _him_. He wasn't going to out Karofsky, whether he was sure about himself or not. He'd keep quiet – for the footballer's sake as well as the glee club's.

That brought his thoughts back to Kurt. Karofsky had said he'd leave his boyfriend alone. That alone was enough to make Blaine smile to himself. Kurt was safe. _Safer, at any rate_, he thought as he left the locker room, letting the door shut with a thud behind him.

* * *

><p>Karofsky was apparently as good as his word. He went out of his way to stay away from Kurt and the other glee clubbers, and avoided Blaine's eyes in the hallways and classrooms. He couldn't stop any of the other jocks taunting or tormenting them, but he didn't encourage it or join in, and that was enough for Blaine. He knew the guy would be terrified at his situation, where he could be forcefully outed any second by the boy that hated his guts, and it was a lot that he was keeping a lower profile.<p>

No one in the glee club could quite comprehend that change in Karofsky. Finn continued to glare at him in the corridors until he realised the footballer wasn't meeting his gaze and was instead doing his best to keep out of his way. Santana complained a little that she didn't get to verbally abuse him as he wasn't doing anything worthy of her time. Mercedes and Kurt were the only ones that seemed to realise it had something to do with Blaine, and they constantly asked him about it.

But when they cornered him and demanded answers, he gave them nothing.

"Everything's sorted out now. We're going to be fine. You don't have to worry."

And Blaine finally dared to hope that it might, for once, actually be the truth.

* * *

><p><strong>Next: It's the long weekend and Klaine have separate plans. Blaine's dragged off on a roadtrip with some old friends, and Kurt enjoys a few days just hanging out with his own friends. It's always good to have a little time apart... right?<strong>

**I feel like I owe you so much fluff. I will honestly try to get the next chapter out quicker but as I'm sure you've figured out by now, I can't promise anything. ****Oh, and what does everyone think of the new cover? Made it myself :) I'm certainly not a pro but I'm fairly proud of it.**

**(Why yes, I do love Princess Bride. What of it?)**

**Until next time y'all ;P**


End file.
